¥ 


WITH  THE  1121 
IN  FR^CE 


A  DOUGHBOYS  STORY 
OF  THE  WAR, 


^! 


BY 


JAMES  A.  MURRIN 


3HC 


WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 


COLONEL   GEORGE   C.    RICKARDS 

Beloved  Coiiimaiider  of  the  1 12th  Infantry  at  Camp  Hancock  and  throughout  all  the  trying 

days  on  the  battlefront  in  Franco 


WITH  THE  112TH 
-     IN  FRANCE 

A  DOUGHBOY'S  STORY 
OF  THE  WAR 

BY 

JAMES  A.  MURRIN 

THIRTY-TWO  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PRESS  OF 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 

PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 


,\A  n 


COPYEIGHTED,  1910,  BY  JAMES  A.  MURBIX 


A  GREETING  FROM  THE  112TH'S 
VETERAN  COMMANDER. 

To  THE  Officers  axd  Men  of  the  112th  Infantey, 
U.  S.  Army: 

I  assure  you  that  I  esteem  it  a  very  great  honor  and 
the  privilege  of  a  hfetime  to  thus  subscribe  to  the  patri- 
otism and  loyalty  of  the  men  who  made  up  the  rank  and 
file  of  the  112th  U.  S.  Infantry;  who,  by  their  faithful 
performance  of  duty,  made  possible  the  accomplisliment 
of  meeting  every  demand  to  which  it  was  called;  who, 
regardless  of  conditions,  by  their  solemn  joy  fulness  kept 
alive  the  spirit  of  comi-adeship  and  determination  and 
carried  fear  to  the  heart  of  the  foe;  and  who,  by  their 
fidehty  to  their  Commanding  Officer,  brought  honor  and 
recognition  to  the  organization. 

None  of  these  things  can  ever  be  understood,  much 
less  appreciated,  by  any  but  one  who  has  commanded  in 
times  such  as  we  have  experienced,  and  so  it  is  with  the 
deepest  sense  of  comradeship  and  love  I  acknowledge 
to  the  living  of  my  comi^ades  an  undying  gi-atitude,  and 
to  those  who  gave  up  their  lives  in  the  gi-eat  cause,  a  sol- 
emn and  holy  reverence,  firm  in  the  belief  that  their 
spirit  has  found  that  refuge  sought  by  all  men ;  and  with 
the  hope  that  the  past  has  but  strengthened  us,  the  liv- 
ing, in  the  characteristics  of  clean  manhood  and  citizen- 
ship, to  the  end  that  when  the  last  taps  have  sounded  for 


vi  GREETING  FROM  112TH'S  VETERAN  COMMANDER 

us,  we  shall  have  reaped  the  same  reward — honor  among 
om*  fellow-men  and  an  everlasting  life. 

I  also  wish  to  take  this  opportunity  to  acknowledge 
our  indebtedness  to  Corporal  Murrin  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  manuscripts,  accounts  of  events  and  official  rec- 
ords. He  has  com^^iled  them,  together  with  his  own  writ- 
ings done  while  on  the  field,  which  makes  them  both  of 
historical  value  and  intense  interest  to  every  member  of 
the  112th  Infantry  and  their  friends. 

I  congratulate  my  comrades  of  the  Regiment  that  it 
is  possible  for  them  to  have  this  record  and  commend 
Corporal  Murrin  for  his  worthy  and  successful  effort. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  comrade, 

Geo.  C.  Rickards. 

Oil  City,  Pa. 
June  6,  1919 


INTRODUCTION  TO  A  DOUGHBOY'S 

STORY 

Through  and  through  this  is  a  doughboy's  story. 

It  is  not  a  compilation  of  official  documents,  written 
with  a  view  to  meeting  all  the  requirements  of  a  stereo- 
typed report.  The  effort  has  been  directed  toward  tell- 
ing in  a  human  way  those  human  incidents  which  made 
up  part  of  the  hfe  of  hiking,  fighting  and  eating  (as  time 
and  rolling  kitchens  permitted)  during  a  strenuous  four 
months'  service  on  the  battle-line  in  France. 

Perhaps  the  story  of  the  112th  Infantry,  28th  Divi- 
sion, is  no  more  remarkable  in  many  respects  than  the 
record  of  many  other  infantry  regiments  at  the  front.  No 
claim  is  made  that  it  had  better  fighters,  that  it  excelled 
in  one  specialty  or  in  stajnng  quahties ;  yet  it  did  possess 
all  those  characteristics  which  go  toward  making  up  a 
real  American  regiment,  fighting  fit  and  ready  to  fight ; 
that  indomitable  persistence  to  plunge  ahead  which 
played  such  a  great  part  in  driving  the  Hun  line  back  to 
its  homeland. 

The  purpose  of  this  little  volume — in  itself  a  sum- 
mary of  doughboy  incidents,  front-line  actions  and  shell- 
dodging — is  merely  to  record  for  all  time  the  fact  that 
the  112th  Infantry,  as  part  of  the  Keystone  Division  and 
of  the  great  American  army  in  France,  played  its  part 
in  the  field — played  it  in  such  a  becoming  belligerent 

vii 


vui      INTRODUCTION  TO  A  DOUGHBOY'S  STORY 

fashion  as  to  win  numerous  commendations  from  Divi- 
sion, Corps  and  Army  commanders. 

Its  men  were  no  different  from  thousands  of  others ; 
yet  those  who  claimed  allegiance  to  the  1 12th,  who 
trained  with  it  at  Camp  Hancock  and  who  fought  with  it 
from  the  Marne  to  the  Vesle,  through  the  Argomie  and  on 
the  Thiaucourt  sector,  believe  it  to  be  worthy  of  a  place 
in  history.  That  is  but  natural;  the  men  of  any  other 
regiment  of  many  another  division  have  the  same  feel- 
ing; it  is  such  a  spirit,  such  superb  confidence  and  such 
splendid  conduct  when  the  real  test  comes  that  made  the 
American  army  the  invincible  steam-roller  it  proved 
itself  to  be  during  that  stirring  summer  and  memorable 
fall  of  1918. 

The  mention  of  persons,  of  places,  of  one  company  or 
another  must  not  be  taken  as  reflecting  at  all  on  those 
that  are  omitted.  After  all,  place  names  mean  but  lit- 
tle; the  names  of  those  who  fought  and  died  are  cher- 
ished by  the  loved  ones  left  to  mourn  their  loss,  while  the 
names  of  those  who  fought  and  lived  are  to-day  revered 
in  those  homes  to  which  they  have  returned,  to  receive 
that  glorious  welcome  which  an  appreciative  nation  has 
given  to  all  its  A.  E.  F.  veterans. 

Being  a  doughboy's  story,  mistakes  are  within  the 
range  of  possibility.  The  doughboy  is  not  infallible ;  and 
"this  man's  army"  is  not  without  fault;  and  yet  the 
doughboy  has  been  one  of  the  big  factors  in  making  the 
army  "  over  there  "  worth-while.  The  letters,  anecdotes 
and  the  jottings-in-general  that  go  to  make  up  this  little 


INTRODUCTION  TO  A  DOUGHBOY'S  STORY        ix 

volume  show  the  hopeful  spirit  of  the  man  under  fire,  his 
boyish  tendencies,  his  genial  good  nature  in  spite  of  in- 
numerable difficulties  and  discouragements. 

Under  such  a  leader  of  men  as  Colonel  George  C. 
Rickards,  who  at  fifty-eight  led  the  112th  into  action 
along  the  Vesle,  they  had  a  regimental  conmiander  in 
whom  they  had  the  firmest  confidence  at  all  times ;  whose 
every  act  was  an  inspiration,  and  who  was  appreciative 
of  buck  private,  non-com  and  ofiicer,  all  according  to  the 
degree  of  his  efficiency  in  playing  the  game.  Colonel 
Rickards,  with  his  two-score  years  of  militarj^  experi- 
ence, was  among  the  oldest  National  Guard  officers  to 
see  front-hne  action,  and  yet  he  was  young  in  spite  of 
his  years. 

The  story  of  the  112th  Infantry  is  nothing  more  than 
the  complete  narrative  of  Colonel  Rickards  and  his  fam- 
ily of  fighting  doughboys.  Under  shellfire,  marching 
through  a  downpour  of  rain,  enduring  the  same  condi- 
tions as  his  men,  the  commanding  officer  of  the  11 2th 
infantry  earned  for  himself  the  esteem  and  love  of  'men 
whose  fighting  abilities  were  tested  in  the  crucible  of 
Jerry's  hell-fire.  Few  commanders  have  been  so  solici- 
tous for  the  welfare  of  the  man  in  the  ranks,  few  have 
been  able  to  combine  disciphne  and  friendship  for  the 
soldier  so  admirably — in  other  words,  few  officers  have 
proved  so  able  as  gentlemen  and  soldiers  to  command  as 
this  man  who  saw  the  whole  war  game  through  with  the 
112th  Infantry  Regiment  in  France. 

This  is  not  a  one-man  story.    If  the  personal  pro- 


X        INTRODUCTION  TO  A  DOUGHBOY'S  STORY 

noun  is  used  at  times,  it  is  Mr.  Doughboy  speaking — 
not  the  author.  The  author  himself  was  a  doughboy 
throughout  the  whole  "  show  " ;  he  shouldered  a  rifle  and 
carried  "  ammo  " ;  in  addition,  he  managed  to  swing  a 
Corona  in  one  hand  mitil  the  Argonne  decreed  that  the 
little  machine  was  beyond  service.  In  his  small  way  he 
has  played  an  average  part;  as  a  cub  war  correspondent 
when  the  armistice  was  signed  he  recorded  the  day-to- 
day events  of  an  existence  that  seemed  to  run  on  a 
humdrum  basis  after  four  months  of  unending  activity 
and  excitement. 

Now  that  the  war  is  over,  it  seems  altogether  fitting 
that  a  few  of  the  stories,  letters  and  notes  on  what  the 
regiment  experienced  during  its  torn*  of  duty  in  the 
A.  E.  F.  should  be  given  a  permanent  form;  for  mem- 
ory plays  many  tricks  and  is  liable  to  brush  away  some 
of  those  dates  on  which  the  112th  helped  make  American 
history  in  the  repubhc  "  over  there.'* 

Sailing  from  New  York  on  May  7,  1918,  landing  in 
France  nine  days  later,  at  the  front  on  July  4th  and 
under  shellfire  for  all  of  but  fourteen  days  until  the 
signing  of  the  armistice  November  11,  1918,  the  112th 
Infantry  had  a  whirlwind  record  of  activity  hard  to 
approach.  In  a  twinkling,  the  28th  Division  passed  from 
a  "  green  "  into  the  "  veteran  "  class,  and  sharing  in  these 
honors  was  the  regiment  about  whose  life  on  the  battle- 
front  this  volume  essays  to  say  something  worth-while. 

No  tribute  to  the  112th  could  be  more  expressive  than 
the  cryptic  statement  that  it  played  the  game  every  foot 


INTRODUCTION  TO  A  DOUGHBOY'S  STORY       xi 

of  the  way;  it  did  not  recognize  the  impossible  as  unsur- 
mountable ;  it  converted  a  dead  sector  into  something  of 
life — all  to  the  disgust  of  a  retreating  and  beaten  foe. 

The  man  at  home,  the  soldiers  in  American  camps, 
the  S.  O.  S.  in  France,  the  artillery,  the  cooperation  of 
other  units,  and  the  living  spirit  of  a  great  cause  itself 
all  helped  make  the  accomplishments  of  the  infantry 
possible;  and  the  112th  was  one  of  those  regiments  which 
made  good  from  the  start,  and  never  quit  until  the  war 
was  declared  over. 

To  those  men,  living  and  dead,  who  were  its  mem- 
bers, to  its  officers  and  to  its  beloved  Colonel,  this  book 
is  affectionately  dedicated.  It  is  written  in  the  hope  that 
it  may  serve  as  a  reminder  of  the  brighter  side  of  those 
days  in  France,  to  which  each  doughboy  hopes  he  has 

said  adieu  for  all  time. 

James  A.  Murrin. 

Franklin,  Pa. 
July  1,  1919 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

Greetings  by  Colonel  Rickards v 

Introduction  to  a  Doughboy's  Story vii 

PART  I— IN  SOUTHERN  SANDS 

I,  The  History  of  Two  Regiments S 

II.  Parades  and  Hikes  at  Camp  Hancock 11 

III.  One  Memorable  Thanksgiving 23 

IV.  Fighting  Wind,  Winter  and  Measles 33 

V.  Pennsylvania's  Royal  "God  Bless  You" 50 

PART  II— UP  THE  LINE  IN  FRANCE 

VI.  Across  the  Ocean  on  a  Palace  Ship 59 

VII.  Training  Days  with  Tommy  Atkins 83 

VIII.  Up  the  Line  Independence  Day 99 

IX.  Hill  204  Takes  Its  Toll 117 

X.  Chateau-Thierry,  and  North 136 

XL  Into  Action  Along  the  Vesle 158 

XII.  The  Tragedy  at  Fismette 185 

XIII.  Hobnailing  it  into  the  Argonne .218 

XIV.  The  Advance  in  the  Argonne 246 

XV.  Uncrowned  Heroes  of  the  Argonne  Drive 273 

XVI.  Putting  Life  into  a  Quiet  Sector 284 

XVII.  The  Story  of  the  Casualty  List 310 

PART  III— AFTER  THE  ARMISTICE 

XVIII.  Holidays  that  Brought  Thoughts  of  Home  ....  335 

XIX.  From  Buxieres  to  Tilweron 380 

XX.  The  Band's  RAle  in  the  War  Game 407 

XXI.  When  Phil.a.delphl\  Proved  Its  Brotherly  Love  425 

PART  IV— ADDITIONAL  CITATIONS 

xiii 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PART  ONE 

Colonel  George  C.  Rickards Frontispiece 

Start  of  7-Mile  Hike  from  Camp  Hancock 1'2 

One  of  the  Election  Boards 24 

112th  Boys  at  Grenade  Practice 25 

"Over  the  Top"  in  the  Bayonet  Runs 40 

The  Cub  War  Correspondent  at  Camp  Hancock 41 

View  of  Officers'  Row  in  Southern  Sands 48 

PART  TWO 

Remarkable  Aerial  Photo  of  Fismes  and  Fismette 162 

Fismes  and  Fismette  on  August  21,  1918 174 

Wrecked  City  Hall  of  Fismes  as  it  Looked  September  5th ...  175 

Jerrj'  Guns  Taken  Along  Vesle  River 186 

First  Battalion  Officers  with  Captured  Hun  Material 187 

The  Famous  Stone  Dam  Over  the  Vesle  into  Fismette 194 

Tank  Crossing  Bridge  at  Boureuilles,  Into  Argonne 228 

Line  of  Squareheads  Advancing  Rearward C44 

Hill  244  and  Part  of  Chatel  Chehery 264 

PART  THREE 

Main  Thoroughfare  in  Buxieres 346 

A  Typical  Billeting  Area,  the  Town  of  Burey  La  Cote 347 

Main  Street  in  Pagny  La  Blanche  Cote 380 

View  of  Sauvigny  and  Meuse  River  Bridge 381 

Traveron,  Location  of  Regimental  Headquarters 384 

Third  Battalion  Soldiers  in  Sauvigny 385 

"Feeding  Up"  the  Doughboys  at  Maxey 400 

Regimental  Band  on  Hike  Near  Traveron 418 

IT 


xvi  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Famous  112th  Orchestra  Poses  for  Last  Time 419 

Company  C  "Falls  in"  for  Mess 428 

Seeing  France  from  a  Side-door  Pullman 429 

Troops  of  Second  Battalion  Boarding  Pocahontas 432 

Four  Days  Out  at  Sea— and  "All's  Well" 433 

Homefolks  Aboard  Philadelphia's  Welcome  Ship 436 

First  112th  Men  to  Touch  American  Soil 437 

The  Last  Grand  Review  at  Camp  Dix,  May  2,  1919 438 


PART  ONE 

IN  SOUTHERN  SANDS 

GETTING  READY  AT  CAMP  HANCOCK,  AUGUSTA,  GA., 
FOR  THE  GREAT  WAR  GAME  OVERSEAS 

PERIOD  FROM  SEPTEMBER  10,  1917,  TO  MAY  7,  1918 


WITH  THE  112th  IN  FRANCE 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  HISTORY  OF  TWO  REGIMENTS 

Old  16th  Pennsylvania  Infantry  First  War 
Strength  Regiment  in  the  Country — 8th  and  16th 
Merged  Into  the  112th  Early  in  October  — 
Days  of  Training  in  Southland  Show  Up  Well. 

When  the  order  came  on  July  15,  1917,  for  the 
National  Guard  to  mobilize,  in  response  to  President 
Wilson's  call,  there  were  few  among  the  Pennsylvania 
troops  who  M^ould  confess  even  now  that  they  had  an  ink- 
ling of  what  was  in  store  for  them,  eithei'  in  the  days, 
weeks  or  months  to  follow. 

The  call  had  been  expected  any  week,  from  the  time 
America  entered  the  World  War  on  April  6th  of  that 
year  until  the  word  actually  came  for  a  gathering  of  the 
forces,  a  mustering  of  strength  and  the  hurrying  up'  of 
details  that  would  clear  the  way  for  action  and  other 
orders. 

And  when  this  news  came  it  found  the  old  IGth  Penn- 
sylvania Infantry  Regiment,  with  its  headquarters  at  Oil 
City,  the  first  war  strength  National  Guard  Regiment  in 
the  whole  United  States.  Each  company  of  tlie  Regi- 
ment had  more  than  the  requisite  150  men,  and  one  miit 
had  more  than  190.  When  entraining  orders  arrived  and 
the  mobilized  units  started  for  Camp  Hancock,  the  16th 


4  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

pulled  out  for  the  Southland  with  2001  enlisted  men 
and  52  officers. 

While  the  entire  16th  was  arriving  at  Camp  Han- 
cock, Augusta,  Georgia,  on  the  night  of  September  10th, 
the  old  8th  Regiment,  with  Headquarters  at  Harrisburg, 
was  entraining  for  the  same  destination.  It  was  not  until 
more  than  five  weeks  afterward,  when  tlie  reorganization 
of  the  Pennsylvania  National  Guard  was  effected  along 
the  War  Department  lines,  that  it  was  determined  that 
the  8th  and  the  16th  should  share  honors  in  becoming  the 
greater  112th  Infantry  Regiment — the  men  from  the  Oil 
Region  and  those  from  the  broad  central  valleys  of  the 
Keystone  State.  The  8th  Regiment  arrived  in  camp  on 
September  12th. 

Apropos  of  this  joining  of  forces,  it  might  be  well  to 
give  a  brief  review  of  the  history  of  each  of  these  well- 
known  Pennsylvania  Guard  Regiments.  The  old  16th 
Pennsylvania  Infantry  had  been  organized  in  1878,  with 
General  John  A.  Wiley,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  as 
its  first  Colonel.  Since  that  time  there  were  in  command : 
General  John  A.  Wiley,  from  December  3, 1878,  to  Jan- 
uary 25,  1887;  General  Willis  J.  Hulings,  March  3, 
1887,  to  August  28,  1907,  and  Colonel  George  C.  Rick- 
ards,  from  September  9,  1907,  to  the  time  of  the  reor- 
ganization at  Camp  Hancock,  where  he  was  retained  as 
Colonel  of  the  112th  Infantry,  to  serve  with  becoming 
credit  throughout  America's  participation  in  the  great 
World  War. 

The  16th  participated  in  the  Spanish- American  War, 


THE  HISTORY  OF  TWO  REGIMENTS  5 

its  theatre  of  operations  being  in  Porto  Rico,  where  it 
took  part  in  several  engagements.  In  one,  the  battle  of 
Coamo,  several  of  its  officers  conducted  themselves  so 
admirably  under  fire  as  to  win  commendation  in  official 
dispatches.  It  was  during  the  Porto  Rican  campaign 
that  Colonel  Hulings  was  promoted  to  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral and  Colonel  Rickards  to  Colonel  in  command  of  the 
Regiment ;  at  the  close  of  the  war,  however,  both  officers 
resumed  their  former  commands  as  Colonel  and  Lt. 
Colonel,  respectively,  of  the  Regiment.  It  was  at  this 
time  that  five  companies  of  the  old  15th  Infantry  be- 
came a  part  of  the  16th. 

When  the  Regiment  answered  the  President's  July 
15th  call  for  mobilization,  its  companies  were  distributed 
as  follows : 

Headquarters,  Supply  and  D  Companies  at  Oil  City; 
Company  A  at  Corry;  Company  B  at  Meadville;  Ma- 
chine Gun  and  C  Companies  and  Sanitary  Detachment 
at  Bradford;  Company  E  at  Kane;  Company  F  at 
Frankhn;  Company  G  at  Erie;  Company  H  at  Ridg- 
way;  Company  I  at  Warren;  Company  K  at  Kittan- 
ning;  Company  L  at  Butler;  and  Company  ^I  at  Grove 
City. 

Both  the  16th  and  8th  Regiments  saw  service  on  the 
Mexican  border  from  July  3,  1916,  until  the  early  part 
of  the  following  year,  and  both,  too,  participated  in  the 
inaugural  ceremonies  at  Washington  in  ]\Iarch,  1917. 
The  8th  Regiment  drew  its  personnel  from  what  is 
known  as  the  Harrisburg  district,  that  city  itself  provid- 


6  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

ing  the  Headquarters,  Machine  Gun,  Supply  and  D  and 
I  Companies.  The  other  units  of  the  8th  Regiment  came 
from  York,  Chambersburg,  Bedford,  Carlisle,  Hunt- 
ingdon, Pottsville,  Mahanoy  City  and  Tamaqua.  It  was 
truly  representative  of  the  central  part  of  the  Keystone 
State. 

It  came  into  the  new  112th  Regiment  with  the  record 
of  having  taken  part  in  the  inaugural  ceremonies  at 
Washington  of  nine  Presidents,  from  Garfield  to  Wil- 
son; in  the  inaugural  ceremonies  of  ten  Governors  of 
Pennsylvania,  from  Governor  Hartranft  in  1876  to 
Governor  John  K.  Tener  in  1911.  In  fact,  from  the 
time  of  its  organization  in  1874  until  it  was  called  to 
the  service  again  in  1917,  it  had  played  a  representative 
and  prominent  role  in  many  state  and  national  cere- 
monies, not  omitting  mention  of  participation  in  the 
Centennial  Parade  in  Philadelphia  in  1876,  and  the  great 
Jubilee  Parade  in  the  same  city  at  the  close  of  the  war 
with  Spain. 

As  an  organization  to  preserve  order  within  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Pennsylvania  it  served  well  in  the  indus- 
trial troubles  and  strikers'  conflicts  in  various  parts  of 
the  state,  particularly  during  the  railroad  riots  of  1876 
at  Pittsburgh;  in  1875  at  Shamokin,  during  the  "  Molly 
Maguire  "  riots;  in  1876  at  Mahanoy  City,  during  the 
miners'  disturbance  there ;  at  Homestead,  upon  the  oc- 
casion of  the  great  steel  strike  of  1892;  at  Hazleton, 
during  the  coal  strike  of  1897;  and  the  Shenandoah  an- 
thracite coal  strikes  in  1900  and  1902. 


THE  HISTORY  OF  TWO  REGIMENTS  7 

The  regiment  was  organized  in  1874  with  the  elec- 
tion of  John  P.  S.  Gobin,  of  Lebanon,  as  Colonel.  Dur- 
ing the  Spanish- American  War  he  was  given  the  rank 
of  Brigadier-General  and  placed  in  command  of  the  8th 
Pennsylvania  U.  S.  Volunteers  (the  8th  Pennsylvania 
National  Guard),  the  12th  U.  S.  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  the  3d  Virginia  U.  S.  Volunteer  Infantry  at  Camp 
Alger,  Virginia,  and  later  at  Camp  Meade,  Middletown, 
Pa.  The  12th  Pennsylvania  and  the  3d  Virginia  Vol- 
unteers were  mustered  out  of  service  at  the  close  of  the 
war,  but  the  8th  Pennsylvania  Infantry  was  retained; 
it  is  a  coincidence  that  during  the  winter  of  1898  it  was 
sent  to  Augusta,  Ga.,  and  was  camped  on  part  of  the 
same  ground  which  was  designated  by  the  War  Depart- 
ment in  1917  as  Camp  Hancock.  In  March,  1899,  the 
8th  was  mustered  out  of  Federal  service. 

Like  the  16th  Regiment,  the  old  8th  boasted  of  a 
splendid  personnel  of  officers,  men  of  high  standing  in 
their  respective  communities,  soldiers  of  long  experi- 
ence in  the  military  game,  and  who,  during  their  tei-m 
of  service,  had  made  a  lasting  impression  and  had  done 
much  to  improve  the  morale  in  general.  As  Colonels 
of  the  old  8th,  the  following  in  the  order  named  served 
in  that  capacity:  John  P.  S.  Gobin,  who  later  became 
Lieutenant-Governor;  Frank  J.  Magee,  Theodore  F. 
Hoffman,  Joseph  B.  Hutchinson  and  Maurice  E.  Fin- 
ney. The  last  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  old  8th  was 
Frank  E.  Ziegler,  a  prominent  lawj^er  of  Harrisburg, 
who  died  in  February,  1918,  from  the  effects  of  a  fall 


8  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

from  his  mount  at  Fort  Sam  Houston,  San  Antonio, 

Texas. 

This,  in  brief,  is  the  story  of  the  two  Pennsylvania 
regiments  that  were  designated  to  become  the  112th  In- 
fantry. Up  until  a  few  days  prior  to  the  actual  transfer 
of  personnel,  accomplished  on  October  17,  1917,  Camp 
Hancock  was  rife  with  rumors  and  reports.  Originally, 
the  reorganization  plans  called  for  a  merger  of  the  old 
18th  (or  Pittsburgh)  Regiment  with  the  16th;  the 
officers  of  that  organization,  bringing  influence  to  bear, 
took  their  cause  to  Washington  and  after  a  battle  lasting 
four  or  five  days  won  their  point. 

The  reorganization  plan  provided  for  250  men  and 
six  officers  per  company,  and  General  Order  No.  22, 
Headquarters  28th  Division,  dated  October  11,  1917, 
wiped  out  all  old  lines.  Thereafter  the  old  16th  became 
known  as  the  112th;  six  days  later,  with  a  blistering  sun 
beating  down  on  Camp  Hancock  sands  and  making 
things  warm,  the  boys  of  the  old  8th  tramped  into  the 
112th  area  along  Pennsylvania  avenue,  deposited  bar- 
racks bags  and  equipment  at  the  head  of  the  company 
streets,  and  said  "  Howdy." 

Then  and  there  the  central  and  northwestern  Key- 
stoners  joined  hands  in  the  great  game  which  they  were 
to  help  bring  to  such  a  successful  conclusion  a  little  more 
than  twelve  months  later. 

The  first  disappointments  in  the  hearts  of  the  old 
8th  youngsters  were  wiped  out  in  the  comradeship  of  the 
few  days  following;  strangers  became  fast  friends,  let- 


THE  HISTORY  OF  TWO  REGIMENTS  9 

tered  companies  of  the  old  National  Guard  regiments  be- 
came merged,  for  the  most  part,  into  the  same  letter 
under  the  112th  Infantiy.  So  by  November  1st  the 
average  person  looking  at  the  regiment  from  the  casual 
viewpoint  would  hardly  believe  anything  other  than  that 
these  companies  of  250  and  more  men  each  had  been 
drilling  together  for  weeks  or  even  months  instead  of  a 
few  days.  This  rapid  development  of  efficiency  and  the 
elimination  of  lost  motion  soon  put  Camp  Hancock  on 
the  map  as  a  mobilization  center  with  a  record ;  and  when 
it  came  to  the  test  imder  fire  it  put  the  112th  Infantry 
and  the  whole  28th  Divsion  into  the  veteran  fighting 
aggregation  at  one  bound. 

The  112tli  Infantry  spent  nearly  eight  months  in 
southern  sands,  from  the  arrival  of  the  16th  and  8th 
Regiment  units  during  the  week  of  September  10th, 
until  the  departure  for  the  embarkation  camp  on  April 
30th  and  May  1st  of  1918.  The  record  of  activities  at 
Camp  Hancock  was  one  round  of  strenuous  preparation 
followed  by  another — bayonet  drills,  bomb-throwing, 
squads  "  east  and  west,"  parades,  reviews,  specialist 
classes,  hikes  by  day  and  by  night,  construction  of 
trenches,  and,  in  fact,  every  bit  of  army  activity  that 
would  prepare  the  man  in  khaki  for  strenuous  days 
"over  there."  French  and  British  instructors,  sent  by 
the  Allies  from  the  battle-zone  of  Flanders  and  France, 
assisted  the  division  personnel  in  the  direction  of  bay- 
onet, bombing  and  other  practices.  The  soldier  in  the 
ranks  began  reahzing  as  soon  as  he  arrived  at  camp  that 


10  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

this  war  game  wasn't  all  camouflage,  and  accordingly 
jmnped  into  it  with  both  feet  and  kept  things  in  mo- 
tion. Had  the  call  come  for  overseas  service  in  No- 
vember or  December,  1917,  as  many  had  anticipated, 
it  would  have  found  the  112th  Infantry  and  all  other 
imits  of  the  division  ready  and  willing  to  go — most  of 
all,  ably  prepared  to  combat  the  difficulties  and  hard- 
ships of  the  battle-field. 

But  politics,  the  War  Department's  changing  plans, 
and  perhaps  other  incidents  contributed  to  a  longer  stay 
in  the  Southland,  so  spring  arrived  and  Easter  came 
before  the  movement  to  Camp  Upton  actually  got 
under  way. 

Crowded  into  the  nearly  eight  months  in  which  the 
112th  had  been  at  Camp  Hancock  there  were  many  inci- 
dents and  much  of  real  pleasure  in  the  day-to-day  rou- 
tine of  the  army  game.  The  few  chapters  that  follow 
form  an  outline  of  a  three-season  stay  in  one  of  the  most 
splendid  mobilization  camps  of  the  South,  one  which  held 
the  good  health  record  for  many  weeks  at  a  time. 

Life  at  Camp  Hancock  was  a  fitting  prelude  and  a 
carefully  prepared  introduction  to  the  testing  fire  of  the 
Marne,  the  Vesle,  and  those  days  of  exhaustion  in  the 
advance  through  the  Argonne.  These  things  the  dough- 
boy little  dreamed  of  as  he  went  through  a  strenuous 
day's  drill  and  then  enjoyed  an  evening  pass  to  Augusta; 
but  they  were  privileges  greatly  cherished  in  memory 
when  the  battle-front  was  reached. 


CHAPTER  II 

PARADES  AND  HIKES  AT  CAMP  HANCOCK 

Arrival  and  First  Night  in  Camp,  September  10, 
1917 — First  Parade  of  War  Strength  Regiment  on 
October  loth — Brigade  March  Through  Augusta 
Four  Days  Later — Mutual  Admiration  in  Augusta. 

"  Mighty  glad  to  see  you  fellows,"  called  one  of  the 
many  civilians  who  waved  to  the  boys  in  the  troop  train 
as  it  crossed  Greene  Street.  "  We're  happy  to  have  all 
you  Pennsylvanians  here." 

That  was  the  welcome  Augusta  accorded  to  the  first 
troop  trains  of  the  old  16th  Regiment  as  they  crossed  the 
Savannah  River  at  sundown  and  found  their  way 
through  the  yards  to  the  Wheless  siding  that  memorable 
night  of  September  10,  1917.  Doughboys  poked  their 
heads  from  every  window  and  cheered;  the  Southland 
echoed  the  enthusiasm,  and  even  before  the  long  trains 
reached  Wheless,  and  the  soldiers  piled  oft'  in  tlie  dark, 
it  was  indicated  that  the  people  of  Augusta  and  the  boys 
from  the  old  Keystone  State  were  to  become  fast  friends. 

A  thousand  miles  away  from  home,  it  seemed  we 
were  a  whole  continent  away  that  first  night;  and  yet 
amid  the  confusion,  piles  of  baggage  and  the  noise  of 
speeding  motor  trucks,  youngsters  of  the  old  10th 
flopped  on  the  ground  or  took  some  of  the  cots  stored  in 
the  frame  mess-halls  and  slej^t  until  a  hght  rain  at  C  the 
next  morning  aroused  them  from  their  slmnber.     Few 


12  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

will  forget  the  impressions  of  that  first  night,  the  mam- 
moth size  of  the  camp,  the  long  hike  from  the  train  to 
the  area  on  Pennsylvania  Avenue. 

It  looked  like  a  big  circus,  as  the  motor  trucks,  piled 
high  with  baggage,  boxes  and  tentage  from  the  trains, 
sped  up  the  roads,  whizzed  around  corners  and  ran  into 
some  dark  field  that  was  to  become  a  company  street. 
The  Bradford  boys  of  Company  C,  who  had  been  at 
Hancock  several  weeks  ahead  of  the  others,  extended  a 
warm  welcome  to  the  other  companies,  and  evinced  espe- 
cial interest  in  the  arrival  of  the  other  Bradford  units — 
the  Machine  Gun  Company  and  the  Sanitary 
Detachment. 

One  after  another,  the  big  Packard  trucks,  carrj'ing 
several  tons  each  of  baggage,  with  usually  a  half  dozen 
soldiers  on  top,  rolled  into  the  16th  area  at  intervals  of 
about  fifteen  seconds.  As  soon  as  one  was  unloaded,  it 
sped  back  to  the  train. 

It  was  a  starlit  night,  but  dark  as  only  an  army  camp 
without  electric  lights  can  be.  Here  and  there  a  lantern 
flickered,  and  the  only  bright  light  was  afforded  when 
one  of  the  big  Packard  trucks  moved  up  and  whizzed 
away. 

Stories  that  Georgia  had  plenty  of  warmth  were 
almost  wholly  discredited  the  first  night.  A  cool  breeze 
that  whistled  through  the  trees  fringing  the  camp  made 
the  night  chiUy.  Even  those  fortunate  enough  to  pos- 
sess two  blankets  brought  their  ponchos  into  use.  By  4 
in  the  morning  it  was  cold  enough  to  make  the  soundest 


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PARADES  AND  HIKES  AT  CAMP  HANCOCK        13 

sleeper  sit  up  and  take  notice.     Then  a  light  rain  two 
hours  later  brought  every  youngster  tumbhng  out. 

There  was  no  delay  in  the  breakfast,  for  even  amid 
the  confusion  of  the  first  night  in  camp,  mess  sergeants 
had  seen  to  it  that  the  stoves  were  set  up.  Food  seldom 
tasted  half  so  good  as  it  did  then.  Potatoes,  bacon,  corn- 
flakes, coffee,  bread  with  jam — that  was  the  standard 
menu,  with  a  few  minor  variations.  It  was  eaten  with 
a  relish  that  became  part  of  the  history  of  Southern 
Sands. 

By  9  that  morning  the  real  work  of  getting  the  camp 
established  was  under  way;  tents  were  erected  in  rapid- 
fire  order,  and  three  hours  later  many  of  the  small  trees 
behind  company  mess  shacks  along  the  newly-made 
Pennsylvania  Avenue  had  been  removed  and  two-thirds 
of  all  the  pyramidal  tents  necessarj'^  to  house  the  old  16th 
had  been  erected.  By  nightfall  the  camp,  to  use  the 
enhsted  man's  expression,  was  in  "  apple-pie  order." 
The  following  day,  September  12th,  the  8th  Regiment 
arrived  in  another  section  of  Camp  Hancock,  and  went 
through  practically  the  same  process. 

Meanwhile,  the  16th  boys  were  hard  at  the  task  of 
clearing  the  sandy  drill  field  of  brush  and  stumps,  a  task 
in  which  a  large  number  made  their  first  acquaintance 
with  poison  oak ;  arms,  hands  and  legs  and,  in  some  cases, 
faces,  were  swollen,  and  the  Medical  Detachment  got 
busy  right  from  the  start  in  caring  for  the  unfortunates. 
By  Satm'day  evening,  September  15th,  the  drill  field 
between  Pennsylvania  Avenue  and  the  Wrightsboro 


14  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Road  had  been  cleared  of  all  stumps,  and  the  whole  stage 
set  for  the  first  drills  on  the  following  Monday. 

Companies  were  at  the  same  time  making  things 
comfortable  for  the  men  as  circumstances  would  permit. 
Officers  were  seeing  to  it  that  board  floors  were  pur- 
chased for  their  own  tents  and  for  those  of  the  enlisted 
men,  and  Augusta  planing  mills  had  more  orders  than 
they  could  satisfactorily  fill  for  the  next  three  weeks. 
Simultaneously,  wire  details  were  busy  making  tele- 
phone and  light  connections,  and  by  the  latter  part  of 
September  the  candle  had  become  a  back  number  in 
Hancock  history,  and  each  pyramidal  tent  had  one 
tungsten  of  Mazda  lamp  that  made  the  place  seem 
like  home. 

September  19th  went  down  on  record  as  the  date 
of  the  first  regimental  parade,  and  the  cub  war  corre- 
spondent at  that  time,  writing  to  the  home-town  paper, 
had  this  to  say: 

With  all  the  splendor  attaching  to  a  field  army  in  review,  but  on 
a  smaller  scale,  every  unit  of  the  l6th  Regiment  this  evening  par- 
ticipated in  its  first  formal  regimental  parade  on  the  new  drill 
ground.  Colonel  Rickards  and  his  staff  reviewed  the  soldiers  after 
they  had  formed  in  battalions  and  "  The  Star-Spangled  Banner  " 
had  been  played. 

The  high  towers  that  had  been  erected  for  photo- 
graphic purposes  provided  a  splendid  view  of  the  troops 
as  they  marched  across  the  stumpless  drill  ground,  and 
pictures  were  taken  of  the  formation  at  the  time. 

This  first  parade  was  only  a  foretaste  of  the  many 


PARADES  AND  HIKES  AT  CAMP  HANCOCK        15 

that  were  to  follow  dui-ing  the  stay  in  the  Southland; 
thereafter  one  such  formation  a  week  was  the  average, 
and  for  a  great  while  there  were  two  parades.  The  most 
notable  of  those  early-day  reviews  at  camp  was  that  on 
October  15th,  the  first  parade  of  a  new  war  strength 
regiment  held  in  the  United  States.  Thirty-seven  hun- 
dred men  were  in  hne — the  combined  strength  of  the  8th 
and  the  16th  Regiments,  merged  two  days  later  into 
the  112th. 

Speaking  of  the  spectacle  at  that  time  The  Augusta 
Herald  said: 

With  more  men  in  line  than  were  in  the  whole  Second  Brigade 
at  Camp  Stewart  a  year  ago,  the  new  112th  Regiment  held  what  is 
perhaps  the  first  parade  of  a  war  strength  infantry  regiment  in  the 
United  States  last  evening. 

More  than  3700  men  were  in  line.  These  comprised  the  entire 
strength  of  Colonel  George  C.  Rickards'  command,  2026  men  ex- 
clusive of  the  officers,  together  with  the  full  strength  of  Colonel 
Maurice  E.  Finney's  command,  the  8th  Regiment.  The  two  bands  of 
the  respective  organizations  combined. 

Far  out  along  the  Wrightsboro  side  of  the  drill  field,  facing  to 
the  north,  the  3700  troops  were  lined  up  in  three  separate  battalions. 
It  was  a  splendid  sight — more  men  in  one  regiment  than  were  in  the 
10th,  l6th  and  18th  Pennsylvania  Infantry  Regiments  combined, 
on  border  duty  last  fall. 

On  the  reviewing  line  witli  Colonel  Rickards  were:  Captain 
James  C.  Shaw,  Regimental  Adjutant;  Major  W.  C.  Hogan,  Chap- 
lain Willis  W.  Hall  and  officers  of  the  Sanitary  Detachment.  With 
Colonel  Finney  were:  Lieutenant-Colonel  Frank  E.  Ziegler,  Captain 
Harry  H.  Baker,  Regimental  Adjutant;  Chaplain  Harry  N.  Bass- 
ler  and  other  officers.  Participating  in  the  parade  or  occupying  places 
on  the  reviewing  line  were:   Majors  George  B.   Corbin,  Lester  H. 


16  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Huber  and  William  H.  Baublitz,  of  the  8th,  as  well  as  their  battalion 
adjutants — Lieutenants  James  Painter,  John  Wiestling  and  Henry 
M.  Gross. 

Those  who  were  on  the  border  and  recalled  parades  of  companies 
having  but  70  or  75  men  marveled  at  the  sight  of  units  of  250  as 
they  swept  by,  great  clouds  of  dust  from  the  drill  field  at  times 
obscuring  part  of  the  line.  Even  the  machine  gun  trucks,  seldom 
participating  in  formations,  had  a  part  in  the  parade,  and  be  it  said 
in  all  justice  to  the  Fords,  they  kept  their  lines  straight. 

On  October  17th  the  actual  transfer  of  the  8th  Regi- 
ment personnel  to  the  112th  area  was  accomplished,  and 
after  the  first  few  days  of  getting  straightened  around 
and  adjusting  minor  difficulties,  it  seemed  that  the  8th 
and  16th  had  always  been  one  gi*eat  organization. 

"  To-night  there  are  cheers  every  now  and  then  for 
the  8th  Regiment  boys,"  a  grapevine  special,  written  on 
moving  day  said. 

In  addition,  each  company  was  gjiven  three  lusty  cheers  as  it 
arrived  at  its  new  home.  The  regimental  canteen  did  such  a  rushing 
business  this  afternoon  because  of  the  new  arrivals  that  it  had  to 
close  its  doors  for  half  an  hour,  something  that  has  never  happened 
before.  The  supply  sergeants,  mess  sergeants  and  top  sergeants  are 
working  overtime  now,  but  within  a  week  everything  will  be  going 
smoothly,  and  the  boys  will  be  so  well  acquainted  that  it  will  seem 
as  if  they,  too,  were  from  the  same  section  of  the  state  (a  prediction 
that  came  true).  They're  a  clean-cut  looking  regiment  of  fellows, 
and  they  certainly  have  been  given  a  warm  welcome. 

Banquets  were  held  by  a  number  of  the  companies  to 
celebrate  the  event. 

Among  the  other  notable  events  of  that  same  week 
were  the  construction  of  three  shallow  bayonet-practice 


PARADES  AND  HIKES  AT  CAMP  HANCOCK        17 

trenches  on  the  drill  field,  put  into  use  almost  immedi- 
ately by  the  bayonet  classes ;  and  the  impressive  parade 
of  8200  men  through  the  streets  of  Augusta — in  other 
words,  the  first  parade  of  the  new  56th  Infantry  Brigade. 
"  The  greatest  military  parade  Augusta  has  ever 
seen,"  was  the  manner  in  which  it  was  described  in  the 
papers  of  that  time.  "  With  himdreds  upon  hundreds 
lining  the  streets,  8200  troops  of  the  56th  Brigade  par- 
ticipated in  their  ten-mile  practice  hike  Friday  afternoon. 

The  boys  of  the  112th,  together  with  those  of  the  111th  and  the 
109th  Machine  Gun  Battalion,  were  in  the  line  of  march.  It  was  an 
impressive  sight.  At  the  head  of  the  four-mile  column  rode  Brig- 
adier-General Albert  J.  Logan,  and  following  his  staff  were  Colonel 
George  C.  Rickards,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Robert  B.  Gamble,  Captain 
James  C.  Shaw  and  others  of  the  112th  Regiment.  All  members  of 
the  regimental  staffs  were  mounted,  and  the  enlisted  men  of  the 
companies  carried  rifles  and  canteens. 

The  route  of  the  parade  was  from  the  drill  field  over  the  Wrights- 
boro  Road  to  Highland  Avenue^  thence  to  Walton  Way,  to  15th  Street, 
to  Broad,  then  to  7th  and  over  Greene  to  13th,  striking  the  Wrights- 
boro  Road  for  home.  It  was  1.30  when  the  orders  to  march  were 
given,  and  with  the  112th  Regimental  Band  playing  away,  the  col- 
umn swung  into  the  road,  the  boys  from  the  northwestern  and  central 
part  of  Pennsylvania  being  in  the  lead. 

At  3  o'clock  the  heart  of  Augusta's  business  section  was  reached, 
and  as  the  column  swung  by  the  Confederate  monument  just  below 
8th  Street,  the  112th's  band  struck  up  "Dixie,"  and  the  enormous 
throng  of  bystanders  cheered  lustily.  It  had  the  same  effect  as  in 
Charlottesville,  Ya.,  early  in  September,  when  the  boys  detrained  for 
the  first  time  and  paraded  through  that  old-fashioned  Virginia  city. 

Fewer  than  a  half-dozen  men  of  the  1 12th  Regiment  dropped  out, 
and  these  cases  were  not  ones  of  exhaustion.  It  proved  that  the 
hardening  process  the  soldier  boys  are  undergoing  is  having  real 
2 


18  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

beneficial  effects.  More  than  half  of  the  march  was  accomplished  in 
regular  march  step,  and  only  when  the  rougih  places  along  the  dirt 
highways  were  encountered  was  the  command  "  route-step  "  given. 
All  along  Broad  Street  the  soldiers  were  enthusiastically  cheered  and 
greeted  with  the  "  rebel  yell."  Out  along  Walton  Way  many  girls 
waved  handkerchiefs  and  spectators  applauded. 

Brigadier-General  William  G.  Price,  now  acting  commander  of 
the  28th  Division  (owing  to  the  presence  of  Major-General  Charles  M. 
Clement  in  France),  reviewed  the  troops  from  5  to  5.40  upon  their 
return  to  camp.  The  soldiers  swung  across  the  llSth's  drill  field  in 
company  formation,  the  prettiest  sight  that  has  been  afforded  in 
many  a  day,  each  line  containing  125  men,  and  each  company  pre- 
senting two  great  lines  each.  All  of  the  officers  were  pleased,  and  it 
is  the  consensus  of  opinion  that  this  practice  hike  was  even  a  greater 
success  than  the  first. 

Practice  marches  and  regimental  parades  were  just 
as  fully  a  part  of  the  mihtary  game  at  Camp  Hancock, 
and  just  as  essential  to  the  proper  training  of  the  sol- 
dier for  the  more  serious  work  abroad,  as  were  the  rough- 
and-tumble  features  of  the  game — the  bayonet  training 
and  rushes,  automatic  rifle  instruction,  throwing  of 
grenades,  digging  of  trenches,  trips  to  the  rifle  range. 
Athletics  immediately  took  a  prominent  place  in  the  pro- 
gram of  activities;  Wednesday  and  Saturday  after- 
noons, as  well  as  Sunday,  were  devoted  to  baseball  games. 
It  was  a  common  occurrence  for  the  soldiers  to  attend 
church  services  Sunday  morning  and  to  participate  in 
a  hotly  contested  ball  game  in  the  afternoon;  but  reli- 
gious scruples  were  to  some  extent  put  aside  in  this 
preparation  of  the  soldiers  for  battle. 

But  by  no  means  must  the  fact  be  overlooked  that 


PARADES  AND  HIKES  AT  CAMP  HANCOCK       19 

during  these  training  days  the  Church  and  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  exercised  a  profound  influence  upon  those 
men  who  realized  that  perhaps  only  a  few  months  were 
to  separate  them  from  pleasures  and  privileges  of  a 
training  camp  and  throw  them  into  a  battle-ridden 
country.  So  the  meetings  that  were  conducted  at  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  home-like  touch  that  prevailed  in  the 
great  green  building  at  one  end  of  the  drill  field  and  the 
opportunity  to  worsliip  in  one's  own  church  in  the  city 
were  things  that  were  cherished  in  those  eventful  days 
in  Southern  Sands. 

Through  the  chm'ches  of  Augusta  many  112th  sol- 
dier boys  gained  introduction  to  prominent  Southern 
families;  through  the  trips  to  the  city  the  men  from 
Pennsylvania  began  to  feel  a  part  of  the  Southland,  and 
Augusta  took  the  28th  Division  to  her  heart  and  kept 
it  there. 

A  large  number  of  soldiers  became  affihated  with 
churches  of  their  own  denomination,  and  the  social  fea- 
tures that  resulted  and  the  pleasant  acquaintanceships 
that  developed  went  far  toward  making  the  boy  in  khaki, 
a  thousand  miles  from  his  home,  feel  content  to  play  the 
first  stages  of  the  war  game  in  the  Southland.  No  one 
will  ever  be  able  to  give  an  approximate  estimate  of  how 
much  this  splendid  Southern  influence  affected  the  mor- 
ale of  the  men. 

The  clean-cut  appearance  of  the  28th  Division  sol- 
dier stamped  him  as  a  man  to  be  trusted  anywhere. 
Augusta,  still  mindful  of  some  of  the  deplorable  condi- 


20  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

tions  at  camp  during  the  Spanish- American  War,  was 
at  first  hesitant;  then,  convinced  that  the  soldiers  who 
came  from  the  North  in  1917  to  uphold  their  country's 
cause  were  gentlemen  through  and  through,  lost  no  time 
in  doing  all  within  her  power  to  make  them  feel  at  home. 
And  through  the  months  of  training  this  mutual  and  in- 
creasing regard  played  a  prominent  though  silent  role 
in  the  successful  training  of  the  men  who  were  later  to 
make  up  the  Iron  Division  in  France. 

One  is  not  apt  to  forget  in  those  formative  days  the 
brief  addresses  made  by  Brigadier-General  Albert  J. 
Logan  and  Colonel  Rickards  upon  the  dedication, 
October  29th,  of  the  great  green  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building 
already  referred  to,  officially  known  as  No.  76,  which 
was  a  haven  of  rest  and  comfort  on  many  nights  when 
the  inclement  or  cold  weather  made  the  squad  tent  a 
desolate  place. 

"  I  am  proud  of  all  you  boys/'  General  Logan  said,  "  for  you  are 
men  who  have  volunteered.  You  came  here  to  be  trained,  and  it  is 
your  bounden  duty  to  giye  your  attention  in  this  work,  not  only  for 
your  country's  sake,  but  for  your  own.  And  remember,  gentlemen, 
that  you  cannot  be  good  soldiers  unless  you  are  good  men.  How 
better  can  you  serve  in  your  aifection  for  the  friends  and  relatives 
than  by  going  home  after  the  war  and  saying,  '  I  have  been  mentally, 
morally  and  physically  right.'  " 

And  Colonel  Rickards'  talk  was  quite  along  the  same 
lines,  equally  impressive : 

I  presume  that  QO  per  cent,  of  the  men  who  are  here  to-night  are 
men  who  have  come  here  with  clean  characters,  with  upright  man- 
hood, and  I  believe  it  is  as  much  our  duty  to  keep  these  men  upright 


PARADES  AND  HIKES  AT  CAMP  HANCOCK        21 

as  it  is  to  reach  down  and  bring  others  up.  It  is  ray  belief  that  those 
of  us  who  do  live  a  clean  life  should  never  hesitate  to  reach  down 
and  help  the  other  fellow  up. 

There  is  another  fact  that  I  want  you  to  drink  in  deeply.  You 
have  come  from  Christian  homes,  and  you  have  been  taught  to  pray ; 
it  has  been  your  habit.  Don't  be  a  moral  coward;  don't  be  afraid 
to  kneel  down  beside  your  cot  at  night.  Keep  those  characteristics 
strong,  cherish  them  as  the  greatest  assets  you  have. 

With  the  guiding  influence  of  such  men  as  these  over 
the  56th  Infantry  Brigade  and  the  112th  Infantry,  re- 
spectively, it  is  no  wonder  that  the  welfare  of  the  enlisted 
man  was  ably  safeguarded.  Soldiers  are  the  same  the 
world  over — fun-loving,  energetic,  hardened  to  life  in  the 
open,  and,  withal,  ready  to  adapt  themselves  quickly  to 
any  circumstance  or  any  situation.  The  28th  Division 
at  Camp  Hancock,  however,  enjoyed  the  reputation  of 
being  gentlemen,  as  well  as  splendidly  trained  fighters. 
It  is,  therefore,  not  remarkable  that  Governor  Martin 
Brumbaugh,  on  the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  Camp  Han- 
cock on  November  9th,  when  the  112th  Infantry  passed 
in  review  before  him,  should  remark : 

"  Colonel  Rickards,  that  was  the  greatest  review  of 
any  regiment  of  troops  I  have  ever  seen." 

This  was,  indeed,  a  compliment  to  the  Regimental 
Commander,  his  staff,  and  the  3934  men  in  the  112th 
Infantry.  That  Governor  Brumbaugh  should  pay  such 
a  tribute  to  the  organization  was  something  that  de- 
lighted everyone  from  Colonel  to  buck  private.  Un- 
doubtedly, the  review  was  the  most  largely  attended  of 
the  many  that  were  given  at  Camp  Hancock  up  until 


22  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

that  date.  Automobiles  lined  both  the  Wrightsboro 
Road  and  that  part  of  the  field  immediately  behind  the 
reviewing  hne,  and  military  pohce  especially  detailed  had 
their  hands  full  keeping  two  thousand  or  more  spectators 
within  bounds — a  large  gathering  for  such  a  camp,  where 
parades,  maneuvers  and  other  activities  were  part  of  the 
day's  work. 

The  memory  of  Governor  Brumbaugh's  review  of 
the  112th,  then  at  full  strength  and  in  the  pink  of  con- 
dition, will  linger  long. 


CHAPTER  III 

ONE  MEMORABLE  THANKSGIVING 

Election  Day,  Circus  Day,  and  Libery  Loan  Sub- 
scriptions— Rapid  Progress  of  Special  Classes — 
Thanksgiving  and  Christmas  at  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Hut — 
First  Great  Division  Parades — Old  Man  Winter  Arrives. 

The  first  two  months  of  training  at  Camp  Hancock, 
busy  as  they  were,  produced  more  than  a  mere  routine 
of  training.  Ringling  Brothers'  circus  came  to  Augusta 
late  in  October,  and  bayonet  drills  and  trench  digging 
halted  for  a  whole  day  while  the  doughboy  populace  hit 
the  sawdust  trail  to  the  big  tent. 

Then  there  was  Liberty  Loan  Day,  with  passes  of 
all  kinds  shut  off  for  a  period  of  forty-eight  hours  that 
the  entire  division  might  devote  its  energies  to  practical 
patriotism.  The  old  16th  section  of  the  112th  Infantry, 
with  one  company  racing  with  another,  reported  a  total 
of  $112,000  at  midnight  on  October  25th.  Company  L 
forged  into  the  lead  at  the  last  lap,  taking  honors  from 
Company  F  by  a  few  thousand. 

On  November  5th,  Frank  E.  Lemcke,  of  Franklin, 
designated  as  Special  Commissioner  from  Pennsylvania 
to  take  the  soldier  vote  of  the  112th  Infantry,  arrived  at 
Camp  Hancock,  and  the  day  following  was  election  day 
— and  likewise  a  hohday.  Balloting  started  shortly  be- 
fore 8  o'clock,  and  by  noon  practically  all  of  the  excite- 
ment was  over.    At  2  the  polls  were  closed  and  results 

28 


24  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

were  known  at  4  o'clock.  At  6  some  of  the  figures  were 
kno^Ti  in  Pennsylvania  towns. 

Practice  hikes  meanwhile  continued  to  share  honors 
with  parades  and  the  routine  trench  work  of  the  drill 
field.  On  November  8th  the  entire  56th  Infantry  Bri- 
gade took  a  southward  route  of  16.2  miles,  up  hills  and 
down  and  through  the  gi*eat  Phinizy  cotton  plantation, 
returning  to  camp  late  at  night.  Augusta  papers  de- 
clared this  was  the  longest  march  made  through  Georgia 
by  any  troops  since  Sherman's  famous  march  to  the  sea. 
The  112th,  taking  a  different  route  from  the  111th  In- 
fantry, walked  the  farthest;  it  was  after  9  o'clock  at 
night  when  the  last  units  had  reached  camp. 

Specialist  schools  were  in  blossom  at  Division  Head- 
quarters and  vicinity  at  this  time,  training  both  officers 
and  promising  non-coms  for  the  work  of  carrying  on 
instruction  in  bombing,  bayonet  work,  automatic  rifle 
practice  and  similar  duties.  Captain  Carl  Uller,  a 
likable  young  officer  of  the  337th  French  Infantry,  was 
in  charge  of  the  division  bombing  classes;  Lieutenant 
Felix  G.  Pernet,  a  fellow-countryman,  of  the  148th  In- 
fantry, had  charge  of  automatic  rifle  instruction;  wiry 
little  Billy  Armstrong,  who  hailed  from  Canada,  was 
there  with  the  punch  when  it  came  to  boxing,  and  Cap- 
tain Hugh  R.  Doane,  coached  by  British  experts,  rap- 
idly developed  into  the  crack  baj^'onet  instructor  of  the 
Kej^stone  Division,  with  Lieutenant  Joseph  P.  Council 
as  an  able  successor. 

It  was  Lieutenant  Council  who  taught  the  112th 


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ONE  MEMORABLE  TH.iNKSGIVING  25 

Infantry  the  ins  and  outs,  jabs  and  body  blows,  with 
the  bayonet,  and  the  enthusiasm  he  put  into  the  work 
went  far  toward  developing  many  experts.  jNIajor 
Charles  F.  Clyde,  who  had  been  to  Fort  Sill,  superin- 
tended the  automatic  rifle  instruction  for  the  regiment, 
and  Lieutenant  Harry  B.  McCluskey  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  112th  bombing  classes,  concrete  forms 
being  used  in  the  preliminary  work. 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  sidelights.  The  average 
man  in  the  ranks  recognized  there  was  more  to  do  right 
along,  but  the  longer  he  was  in  Camp  Hancock  the  more 
he  grew  to  feel  at  home.  Squads  put  finishing  touches 
on  their  tents;  November's  first  cold  waves  saw  the 
conical  stoves  installed,  floors  adjusted,  sidewalls  erected, 
and  every  tent  put  in  condition  for  a  winter's  stay  in  the 
Southland. 

It  w^as  just  about  this  time  that  a  half -Angora  speci- 
men made  its  appearance  on  the  scene — "  ]Mr.  William 
B.  Goat,"  designated  as  the  official  mascot  of  the  11,2th 
Infantry.  It  was  a  present  from  the  little  sons  of  ]Mr. 
and  Mrs.  J.  McKnight  Speer,  of  Meadville,  who  had  a 
winter  home  six  miles  from  Camp  Hancock,  and  Colonel 
Rickards,  who  had  scoured  the  surroimding  country  for 
miles  for  a  suitable  goat,  was  about  the  most  delighted 
person  in  camp,  outside  of  "  Wilham  B."  himself, 
perhaps. 

With  typical  army  weather — rain  in  tlie  morning  and 
sunshine  in  the  afternoon — Thanksgiving  arrived. 
Thanksgiving  at  Camp  Hancock  will  long  be  memorable 


26  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

for  two  features :  a  splendid  turkey  dinner  in  every  com- 
pany mess  hall,  with  seconds  for  all  who  wanted  them; 
and  a  most  enthusiastic  meeting,  attended  by  500  sol- 
diers, in  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Building  76.  Thanksgiving  was 
a  holiday  throughout  the  whole  camp,  and  the  hardest 
work  that  most  fellows  had  was  to  sign  the  payroll. 
Many  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  spend  the 
afternoon  and  evening  in  Augusta,  a  large  number,  in 
fact,  being  invited  to  spend  the  greater  part  of  the  day 
at  homes  in  the  city;  others  participated  in  the  football 
games  or  cheered  from  the  sidelines. 

Brigadier- General  Albert  J.  Logan  and  Captain 
Frederick  P.  Schoonmaker  addressed  the  gathering  at 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.;  both  found  a  special  significance  in 
such  a  Thanksgiving,  and  Captain  Schoonmaker  grew 
a  bit  prophetic  when  he  said: 

It's  either  our  Government  and  our  lives,  or  German  militarism 
will  rule  the  world.  That  is  why  I  am  here,  and  that  is  why  you 
are  here  to-day.  Sometimes  I  have  feared  that  the  liberty  America 
has  accorded  her  citizens  might  be  detrimental  to  the  interests  of  the 
Government — might  affect  the  solidarity  of  the  people.  But  when 
I  look  at  you  splendid  fellows,  I  see  the  answer — the  whole  nation 
is  united,  and  will  remain  so  imtil  we  come  out  of  the  war  victorious. 
I  am  sure  if  you  fight  hard  we  will  emerge  from  this  war  with 
democracy,  instead  of  autocracy,  ruling  the  world. 

And  while  the  men  in  khaki  were  solemnly,  yet  with 
typical  soldier  enthusiasm,  observing  Thanksgiving 
under  novel  conditions  in  Southern  Sands,  the  "  folks 
at  home  "  were  reading  the  message  of  cheer  which  Col- 
onel Rickards  had  written  upon  request : 


ONE  MEMORABLE  THANKSGIVING  27 

The  officers  and  men  of  the  112th  Infantry  send  a  greeting  to 
the  friends  at  home.  We  know  that  we  will  have  a  place  in  the 
thoughts  of  the  loved  ones  and  friends  as  they  gather  at  the  fireside, 
family  altar  or  place  of  public  worship  on  Thanksgiving  morning 
to  acknowledge  the  many  benefits  that  the  Great  Ruler  of  the 
universe  has  bestowed. 

Though  we  as  a  country  are  at  war^  our  ties  broken  for  the  time 
being,  thousands  upon  thousands  of  hearts  heavy  and  sore  as  they 
look  forward  to  the  possibilities  of  the  future,  let  us  not  give  way 
to  despondency,  but  rather  that  the  conditions  urge  us  on  to  still 
greater  devotion  to  our  country,  a  stronger  determination  to  render 
to  it  the  highest  service  our  several  abilities  are  capable  of — all  look- 
ing forward  to  the  greater  and  brighter  day  that  must  come,  even 
though  we  must  pass  through  a  crucible  to  attain  it. 

All  will  return,  the  majority  with  health,  some  broken  in  health, 
others  with  a  limb  left  on  some  field  of  battle,  while  there  will  no 
doubt  be  those  whose  bodies  will  be  laid  to  rest  in  soldiers'  graves — 
lives  given  in  defense  of  the  principles  of  Christian  teaching. 

But  all  will  return,  if  not  in  body,  then  in  spirit,  and  we  trust 
our  friends  will  reconcile  themselves  in  the  tliought  of  DUTY  WELL 
DONE.  This  is  the  beacon  star  of  every  officer  and  man  of  the 
112th  Infantry,  which  is  made  up  of  the  sons  of  the  grand  old  Com- 
monwealth of  Pennsylvania. 

• 

AVhen  Major-General  Charles  M.  Clement,  who  had 
been  absent  from  the  division  for  eleven  weeks,  returned 
from  France  on  December  5th,  and  the  entire  division 
for  the  first  time  in  history  turned  out  for  a  parade  in 
his  honor,  it  seemed  that  the  time  when  the  Keystone 
boys  would  have  a  chance  to  prove  their  mettle  was  not 
so  far  distant  after  all.  General  Clement  had  been  one 
of  a  number  of  Major-Generals  to  go  to  France  for  the 
purpose  of  studying  trench  conditions  at  first-hand,  and 
it  was  rumored  that  such  a  visit  was  greatly  significant. 


28  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

The  magnificent  splendor  that  attended  the  great 
review  of  the  division,  the  maneuvering  of  artillery  into 
position,  seemingly  endless  colunms  of  infantry,  cum- 
bersome wagon  trains,  easy  rolling  motor  transport,  is 
not  soon  to  be  forgotten.  Bands  lined  the  Wrightsboro 
Road,  and  as  the  General's  car  appeared,  one  greeted 
him  with  "  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  another  with  *'  Hail, 
Hail,  the  Gang's  All  Here,"  and  a  third  with  "  Here 
Comes  the  Chief." 

The  tragedy  of  this  first  gi-eat  divisional  review  came 
a  week  later  when  General  Order  48,  Headquarters  28th 
Di\ision,  was  published.    It  read : 

It  is  with  regret  that  the  announcement  is  made  to  the  division 
of  the  discharge,  by  direction  of  the  President,  on  account  of  physi- 
cal disability,  of  Major-General  Charles  M.  Clement^  National  Army. 

General  Clement  entered  the  National  Guard  service  of  Penn- 
sylvania in  September,  1877,  and  served  continuouslj''  therein,  includ- 
ing the  Spanish-American  War  and  the  Border  service,  until  com- 
missioned in  the  Federal  service,  August  5,  1917. 

Under  provision  of  Army  Regulations,  the  imdersigned  as- 
sumes command  of  the  division. 

F.  W.  Stillwell, 
Brigadier-General,  N.  A. 

General  Clement  was  for  years  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent figures  in  the  National  Guard  of  Pennsylvania,  but 
his  discharge  from  the  service  was  onlj^  a  forerunner  of 
several  others  that  were  to  follow,  that  of  Brigadier- 
General  Albert  J.  Logan  being  included  among  them 
early  in  1918. 

The  second  great  divisional  review  was  staged  a  few 
days  after  General  Clement's  good-bye  to  Camp  Han- 


ONE  MEMORABI^E  THANKSGIVING  29 

cock;  on  the  arrival  in  Augusta,  December  1 5th,  of 
Major-General  Charles  H.  Muir,  of  the  Regular  Army. 

With  the  sun  shining  as  brightly  as  on  any  Septem- 
ber day,  but  with  a  wintry  wind  sweeping  the  drill  field 
and  making  army  overcoats  feel  comfortable,  the  entire 
strength  of  the  112th  Infantry,  together  with  all  divi- 
sional units,  took  part  in  the  pageant.  In  every  respect 
it  was  as  impressive  as  the  first.  General  Muir's  car  was 
escorted  up  the  Wrightsboro  Road  by  the  crack  First 
Cavalry  Troop  of  Philadelphia.  The  8th  Regiment 
band  played  "  Hail,  Hail,  the  Gang's  All  Here  "  as  the 
new  Di\nsion  Commander  swept  by  the  112th  Infantry, 
then  standing  rigidly  at  attention. 

On  Saturday,  January  5th,  perhaps  the  most  im- 
pressive division  review  of  the  three  given  within  a 
month,  was  held,  that  General  Muir  might  get  a  closer 
and  better  view  of  the  men  he  had  come  to  command. 
In  the  rigid  inspections  of  regiments,  mess  halls,  and  the 
pep  put  into  practice  on  the  drill  field,  it  was  evident  that 
the  division  was  being  informed  that  a  Regular  Army 
officer  was  in  command.  And  during  these  days  the 
112th  measured  up  to  the  full  standard. 

Christmas,  1917,  was  not  by  any  means  a  cheerless 
day,  although  the  Weather  Man  did  little  in  the  way  of 
contributing  a  good  brand  of  weather.  Dinners,  with 
a  menu  consisting  of  turkey  with  sage  dressing,  mashed 
potatoes,  celery,  cranberry  sauce,  pickles,  potato  salad, 
bread  and  butter,  coffee,  mince  pie,  ice  cream,  cigars  and 
cigarettes,  candy  and  oranges,  were  provided  for  the 
men,  the  dainties  being  paid  for  out  of  company  mess 


80  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

funds.  Could  some  of  the  youngsters  who  bemoaned 
their  fate  in  Camp  Hancock  that  day  have  looked  ahead 
another  year  and  have  seen  the  beef  stew  and  plain  slum 
that  was  to  be  provided  on  Christmas  Day,  1918,  they 
would  have  eaten  twice  as  much  and  smiled  the  more. 

It  was  many  a  soldier  boy's  first  Christmas  away 
from  home;  there  were  many  who  had  hoped  that  fur- 
loughs might  come  their  way  between  Thanksgiving  and 
December  25th,  but  few  indeed  were  lucky.  It  was  not 
until  the  latter  part  of  February  that  the  furlough  privi- 
lege was  generously  extended,  so  that  all  those  who  pos- 
sessed the  funds  and  stood  well  with  the  company  com- 
mander (for  that  ofttimes  was  an  essential  matter) 
could  hustle  home  for  a  brief  visit,  then  return  to  camp 
and  settle  down  to  the  routine  once  more. 

Too  much  can't  be  said  for  the  manner  in  which  the 
Red  Cross  helped  make  Christmas  at  Hancock  a  happy 
day.  A  thousand  gift  packages  well  packed  in  six  big 
boxes  were  given  to  the  companies,  forty-two  to  each 
unit  of  the  regiment.  On  the  average,  each  package  con- 
tained two  packs  of  cigarettes,  thi'ee  bars  of  milk  choco- 
late, writing  paper,  a  mouth  organ  and  a  scrap-book, 
and  the  scrap-book  was  usually  the  work  of  some  patri- 
otically inchned  little  schoolgirl.  Every  scrap-book 
was  different,  and  many  a  book  was  prized  for  weeks 
afterward,  the  jokes,  clippings,  essays  and  odds  and  ends 
that  went  into  its  composition  fitting  well  into  the  sol- 
dier's impressionistic  life  at  camp.  Relative  to  Christmas 
at  camp  I  find  this  prediction  in  my  diary  of  that  date : 


ONE  MEMORABLE  THANKSGIVING  31 

Learned  to-day  that  it  is  altogether  probable  that  the  Pennsyl- 
vania boys  will  be  here  in  training  for  twelve  weeks  more,  follow- 
ing the  completion  of  the  present  drill  schedule,  which  makes  it 
improbable  that  many  of  the  Keystone  State  boys  will  be  over  on  the 
other  side  before  May  or  June. 

The  original  sixteen- week  drill  schedule  at  Camp 
Hancock  did  not  come  to  a  close  until  the  middle  of  Janu- 
ary, when  the  new  twelve-week  "  refresher  course  "  went 
into  effect. 

And  during  the  latter  part  of  December  and  through- 
out January,  the  Weather  Man,  seemingly  acting  in 
cooperation  with  measles,  threw  a  wrench  into  the 
smoothly  moving  machinery.  Heavy  snows,  ice  and  bit- 
ter cold,  brought  a  trench  winter  to  the  canvas  city  at 
Hancock,  and  even  beneath  four  and  five  blankets  the 
soldiers  shivered;  Georgia  experienced  the  most  severe 
winter  weather  in  years.  Fuel  was  scarce,  and  there  were 
days  at  a  time  when  no  wood  was  obtainable  for  issue  to 
squad  tents.  Indeed,  it  was  hard  for  a  time  to  get  suf- 
ficient wood  to  keep  the  fires  going  in  the  mess  shacks. 
Officers  bought  smaU  oil-stoves  for  their  quarters,  and 
congratulated  themselves  that  they  had  built  a  frame- 
work beneath  the  canvas  tents  in  which  they  were  housed. 
The  man  in  the  company  street  was  grateful  then  for 
wooden  floor  and  sidewalls,  but  beyond  that  he  had  to 
put  his  hands  in  his  pockets  to  keep  warm,  or  try  for  a 
place  around  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  stove  in  the  evening. 

Drills  were  practically  suspended  during  Christmas 
week.    On  a  cold,  bleak  December  31st  the  entire  regi- 


82  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

ment  stood  muster  for  pay  in  company  streets,  and 
prayed  a  silent  prayer  that  nobody  would  ever  ask  them 
again  to  stand  in  such  bitter  cold  and  answer  "  Yo  "  to 
the  pay  roster. 

On  December  30th,  Colonel  Rickards  was  ordered 
to  proceed  without  delay  to  the  Field  Officers'  School  at 
Fort  Sam  Houston,  San  Antonio,  Texas,  and  Lieut.- 
Colonel  Robert  B.  Gamble,  of  Meadville,  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  regiment.  The  fact  of  Colonel  Rickards' 
departure  for  the  Southwest,  and  his  probable  absence 
for  three  months,  did  not  generally  become  kno^vn  until 
New  Year's  Day,  and  it  then  became  a  matter  of  specu- 
lation whether  or  not  the  beloved  commander  of  the 
112th  was  to  be  "  shelved  "  in  much  the  same  way  as  the 
War  Department  had  ehminated  Major-General  Clem- 
ent. But  fate  dealt  kindly  with  both  the  Colonel  and 
his  command,  and  late  on  the  night  of  April  5th  he  re- 
turned to  "  his  boys,"  as  he  affectionately  called  them, 
to  receive  one  of  the  heartiest  welcomes  any  commanding 
officer  could  hope  for.  The  following  day,  on  the  first 
anniversary  of  America's  declaration  of  war,  he  was 
speeding  north  to  greet  his  mother,  then  eighty-eight 
years  of  age,  and  whose  husband  had  fought  valiantly 
as  a  Colonel  during  the  War  of  the  Rebelhon. 

But  this  part  of  the  story  really  belongs  to  the  fol- 
lowing chapter,  the  last  four  months  of  life  in  the  South- 
land, the  rush  to  prepare  for  hard  work  overseas  and 
the  lightning-like  orders  to  get  under  way  for  the  em- 
barkation camp  "  somewhere  on  the  Atlantic  coast." 


CHAPTER  IV 

FIGHTING  WLND,  AVINTER  AND  MEASLES 

The  Tornado  of  January  11th — The  Measles  Epi- 
demic and  Quarantine — Furloughs  Make  Doughboy 
Hearts  Glad — Great  Parades  on  Washington's  Birthday 
and  on   the   Confederate   Memorial   Day,  April   26th. 

You  can  tell  the  "  folks  back  home  "  that  we  have  seen  another 
southern  curiosity — a  twister  that  upsets  tents,  wrecks  incinerators, 
sends  sand  into  your  eyes  at  40  miles  an  hour  and  makes  life  gen- 
erally miserable  on  a  cold  night. 

This  is  a  doughboy  description  of  what  happened 
on  the  night  of  January  11th,  on  the  heels  of  one  of  the 
worst  rainstorms  the  camp  had  had  in  many  days.  This 
Southern  sand  storm,  approaching  in  size  a  Kansas 
cyclone,  surpassed  in  severity  anything  that  border  vet- 
erans had  experienced. 

It  started  about  8.30,  and  lasted  the  greater  part  of 
the  night,  but  the  damage  was  done  before  10  o'clock. 
Colonel  Rickards'  tent  suffered  with  the  rest;  Lieut.- 
Colonel  Gamble's  quarters,  commodious  and  comfort- 
able, were  rendered  uninhabitable  by  the  storm,  and 
Chaplain  Hall's  house  was  so  badly  wrecked  that  he  slept 
as  close  to  the  stove  as  he  could  in  the  front  room  of 
Regimental  Headquarters.  One  officer's  shack  disap- 
peared entirely,  and  several  others  came  close  to  sufl'er- 
ing  a  like  fate. 

Company  A  was  probably  the  heaviest  loser  in  the 
3  3a 


34  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

outfit,  so  far  as  discomfort  to  enlisted  men  was  concerned. 
Down  in  H  Company  three  tents  went  down,  and  the 
guardhouse  lost  two.  Here,  there — almost  everywhere 
— tent  ventilators  were  missing,  or  stovepipes  were  scat- 
tered about  the  street. 

No  enlisted  men  whose  misfortune  it  was  to  be  out 
on  such  a  night  wiU  forget  it  in  a  hurry.  Over  in  Clerks' 
Row  tent  2  was  found  to  be  in  a  dangerous  predicament 
shortly  after  9.30.  Postmaster  Clyde  Davis  and  his  able 
assistant,  Warren  Brakeman,  partly  clad,  were  holding 
up  one  side  of  the  tent  as  gi*eat  gusts  of  wind  kept  it 
swaying  from  side  to  side.  Then  Claude  Moore,  better 
known  as  "  Slim,"  who  had  retired  some  time  before,  hur- 
ried into  his  clothes  as  the  center  pole  began  swaying, 
and  Gordon  Couch,  another  inhabitant,  made  a  jump  for 
that,  helping  Chester  Small  steady  it  as  much  as  possible. 
Then  somebody  called,  "  She's  going  over,  boys,"  and 
blankets  and  shoes  were  gathered  in  a  hurry  as  a  general 
rush  was  made  for  the  door.  By  that  time  the  tent  was 
careening  like  a  dory  adi-ift  in  a  gale,  and  Small  and 
Couch  were  hanging  onto  the  center  pole  as  if  it  were 
the  mast  of  a  sinking  ship.  Five  minutes  later  the  whole 
tent  collapsed  with  a  crash,  and  it  seemed  as  if  half  a  ton 
of  sand  accompanied  the  fall. 

That  night  the  same  scene  was  enacted  in  fifty  or 
more  instances  within  the  112th  area  alone.  The  occu- 
pants of  tent  2  spent  the  remainder  of  the  night  shiv- 
ering in  sandy  blankets  on  the  cold  floor  of  the  regi- 
mental postoffice. 


FIGHTING  WIND,  WINTER  AND  MEASLES        35 

The  cyclone  of  January  11th  and  the  hurricane  of 
September  30th  go  down  on  record  as  two  of  the  worst 
storms  Camp  Hancock  ever  saw. 

Then  right  on  the  trail  of  this  excitement  came  the 
measles  epidemic.  Just  as  the  camp  was  getting  all  man- 
ner of  pubUcity  throughout  the  country  as  being  one  of 
the  most  sanitary  and  healthful  mobilization  centers  in 
the  States,  with  figures  to  back  up  the  official  assertion, 
the  disease  got  a  grip  on  the  112th.  With  thirty  cases 
reported  on  the  morning  of  January  14th,  Major-Sur- 
geon George  J.  Schwartz  decided  it  was  time  to  box  up 
the  outfit,  place  a  double  guard  around  the  112th  area, 
and  establish  an  isolation  camp  in  the  hollow  and  the 
woods  to  the  north  of  camp.  The  ban  was  placed  on  all 
letter  writing,  and  for  more  than  forty-eight  hours  the 
men  of  the  companies  were  unable  to  write  home;  that 
the  impression  might  not  be  conveyed  that  censorship 
was  concealing  a  troop  movement,  telegrams  were  sent 
to  Pennsylvania  papers  in  explanation  of  the  situation. 

Meanwhile,  tents  were  furled,  and  everybody,  from 
officer  to  buck  private,  took  an  open-air  bath  of  this  type 
twice  a  day.  By  January  23d  the  crisis  of  the  measles 
epidemic  was  reached  with  150  patients  in  the  hospital 
and  900  other  yoimgsters,  formerly  their  tent-mates, 
isolated  in  the  new  camp  to  the  north,  in  charge  of  Lieu- 
tenant Carl  C.  Tinstman.  Saturday,  January  26th, 
brought  the  quarantine  to  a  close,  and  there  was  a  gen- 
eral exodus  to  the  city;  only  the  necessary  guard  and  a 
few  soldiers  who  were  "  dead  broke  "  stayed  in  camp  that 


36  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

night.  The  whole  112th  Regiment  went  to  Augusta  in 
a  body,  it  seemed;  street  cars  were  jammed  and  many 
walked.  It  was  "  some  "  celebration,  after  having  been 
obliged  to  obey  the  mandate  of  a  double  guard,  forego 
visits  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  be  denied  the  average  pleas- 
ures and  privileges  available  at  camp. 

Officers  had  to  toe  the  mark,  too.  The  story  is  told 
of  how  Major  Smathers  was  held  up  at  10.30  three  or 
four  nights  after  the  quarantine  went  into  effect. 

The  Major  had  been  spending  the  evening  at  the 
home  of  Lieut.-Colonel  Gamble,  then  confined  to  bed 
with  a  bad  cold.  On  returning  to  camp,  the  sentry  told 
him  to  halt,  and  then  the  Major  tried  to  explain  who  he 
was.  "  I  don't  care  who  you  are,  I'm  not  going  to  let 
you  pass,"  the  wiry  little  guard  replied.  "  Why  don't 
you  call  the  corporal  of  the  guard  then?  "  asked  the 
Major.  "  That's  just  what  I'm  going  to  do,"  was  the 
retort.  Major  Smathers  was  kept  waiting  in  the  biting 
cold  for  a  full  twenty  minutes  before  the  corporal  of 
the  guard  appeared  and  tried  to  make  apologies. 

On  January  30th  the  isolation  camp  was  broken  up, 
and  in  a  drizzling  rain  600  men  moved  back  home ;  cots 
and  tents  were  soaked  as  they  sought  to  get  things  in 
readiness  for  the  night.  But  the  fellows  who  had  been 
on  the  hillside  by  themselves  for  nearly  two  weeks  were 
so  glad  to  get  back  to  their  company  streets  again  they 
paid  little  attention  to  the  weather.  Some  of  the  men 
returned  just  in  time  to  be  called  in  the  Motor  Mechanics 


FIGHTING  WIND,  WINTER  AND  MEASLES        37 

contingent,  the  112th  Regiment  contributing  50  of  the 
271  men  supplied  by  the  28th  Division. 

It  was  on  the  same  day  that  Brigadier-General 
Albert  J.  Logan  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  ser- 
vice, and  Lieut.-Colonel  Gamble  assumed  temporary 
command  of  the  56th  Brigade.  This  action  once  again 
emphasized  that  this  was  to  be  a  "  young  man's  war," 
so  far  as  the  personnel  of  the  American  army  was  to  be 
taken  into  account;  and  it  only  increased  fears  at  the 
same  time  that  Colonel  Rickards'  hard  schooling  at  Fort 
Sam  Houston  might  wear  him  down  until  War  Depart- 
ment officials  would  rule  similarly  with  him. 

Meanwhile,  the  January  cold  wave  came  to  an  end, 
the  ragged  ends  of  the  measles  epidemic  were  cleared 
away,  and  the  refresher  program  of  twelve  weeks  put  into 
effect  with  a  rush.  Non-coms  started  in  to  learn  the  gas- 
mask instruction  at  division,  bayonet  drills  and  jabs  took 
on  a  new  punch,  and  the  propaganda  artists  at  Division 
Headquarters  adopted  the  "  pep  "  slogan,  and  issued 
reams  of  hteratm*e,  all  with  the  one  idea  in  view  of  pre- 
paring the  28th  for  overseas  service.  News  of  the  sink- 
ing of  the  2\scania,  with  267  members  of  the  32d  Divi- 
sion on  February  6th,  cast  a  damper  over  some  of  the 
joys  of  camp  life  for  a  day  or  so,  and,  coupled  with  the 
daily  announcement  in  the  papers  that  the  National 
Guard  of  the  nation  was  ready  and  willing  to  go  at  any 
moment,  the  belief  grew  that  the  time  of  dei^artm-e  was 
not  far  off. 

Day  after  day  di-ills  and  field  practice  went  on  with 


38  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

renewed  energy,  and  when  night  came  the  doughboy  was 
to  be  found  taking  hfe  easy  on  his  cot,  at  the  Y  or  over 
in  the  new  A.  L.  A.  library,  in  charge  of  Robert  Bliss. 
This  was  a  real  haven  of  content  after  a  strenuous  day 
in  the  bhstering  sun  of  February;  for  it  became  so  warm 
after  the  6th  of  February  that  blouses  were  discarded  for 
a  week  at  a  time,  and  officers  made  no  great  effort  to 
enforce  uniform  regulations  within  the  camp. 

The  first  full  field  inspection  of  the  year  was  held  on 
the  10th,  prehminary  to  the  issuing  a  few  days  later  of 
barracks  bags,  hobnail  shoes,  new  woolen  uniforms,  extra 
underclothing  and  a  careful  check  of  all  personal  prop- 
erty. To  the  soldier  all  these  things  only  increased  his 
belief  that  there  was  "  something  doing  "  in  regard  to  an 
early  movement  overseas.  On  February  21st  the  an- 
nouncement was  made  that  each  soldier  would  receive  a 
serial  number,  to  be  his  throughout  the  war — a  move- 
ment that  was  the  outcome  of  the  Tuscania  disaster,  when 
many  of  the  victims  could  not  be  identified.  So  the 
112th  was  assigned  its  block  of  figures,  from  1,246,101 
to  1,249,800,  inclusive.  Officers,  too,  were  given  serial 
numbers,  but  their  numbers  were  not  taken  from  the 
million  list  designated  for  enhsted  men. 

But  the  real  eventful  feature  of  February  was  the 
extension  of  the  furlough  privilege  to  deserving  men  of 
the  command,  permitting  5  per  cent,  of  the  strength  of 
any  organization  to  go  home  at  one  time.  The  rush 
under  tliis  new  plan  started  on  February  23d,  and  con- 
tinued without  interruption  for  two  months,  before  a 


FIGHTING  WIND.  WINTER  AND  MEASLES        39 

halt  was  called.  Then  when  furloughs  ceased  to  be  within 
the  range  of  possibihty,  a  blind  man  could  have  read  the 
writing  on  the  wall/. 

It  is  interesting  to  recall  some  of  the  predictions  made 
during  those  last  months  in  Camp  Hancock,  and  under 
date  of  March  7th  I  find  this  in  my  diary:  "  Over  in  the 
street  the  talk  is :  '  Front-line  trenches  by  July  4th.' 
They  are  figuring  on  getting  about  ten  weeks'  training 
with  the  British  and  French  troops." 

The  history  of  the  112th  Infantry  in  France  bears 
out  that  this  early  belief  was  not  so  far  from  the  mark, 
though  the  training  period  with  the  Allies  was  materially 
shortened  by  the  German  break-through  and  the  rush 
to  Chateau- Thierry. 

Two  great  reviews  were  held  during  February  and 
March,  the  first  on  Washington's  Birthday,  when  30,000 
troops  of  the  28th  Division  paraded  through  Augusta, 
the  biggest  review  that  the  city  had  ever  seen.  Augusta 
papers  said  that  Lee  had  60,000  troops  in  one  review  in 
1863,  but  there  were  more  than  30,000  in  this  great  line 
of  march.  And  what  an  impressive  sight  it  was  I  One 
will  not  soon  forget  the  artillery,  lumbering  along;  the 
ambulance  sections  and  stretcher-bearers ;  the  seemingly 
endless  columns  of  infantry,  marching  now  at  attention 
and  then  at  route-step;  General  Muir  and  his  staff  on 
horseback;  then  at  camp,  the  long  lines  of  soldiers  sil- 
houetted against  the  brush,  camouflaged  at  times  by  the 
O.  D.  uniforms  they  wore.  To  Augustans  it  was  the  most 
inspiring  parade  since  Civil  War  days. 


40  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

"It  made  me  feel  as  though  I  just  wanted  to  jump 
out  into  line  with  you  fellows,"  the  proprietor  of  a  little 
Broad  Street  restaurant  told  me  that  evening. 

Secretarj^  of  War  Baker  had  paid  a  visit  to  the  camp 
a  few  days  previous,  but  he  missed  such  a  review  as  this. 
However,  when  Secretary  of  State  Lansing  and  his 
party  arrived  on  March  9th,  division  officials  tried  to 
make  up  for  what  Secretary  Baker  had  missed. 

A  great  bayonet  tournament,  staged  in  the  trenches 
and  about  the  dummies  in  the  basin,  or  reservoir,  at  the 
edge  of  the  112th  area,  was  one  of  the  features  of  the 
program  on  the  afternoon  of  March  9th;  thousands  of 
Augustans  lined  the  rim  of  the  big  bowl  and  were  en- 
thralled as  the  pick  of  the  bayonet  artists  of  the  old  28th 
went  over  the  top  with  blood-curdling  yells,  rushed  for 
the  swinging  dummies,  jabbed  and  withdrew,  then 
rushed  on  to  another  line.  Secretary  Tibbs,  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  directed  the  singing  festival  that  followed, 
and  the  111th  and  112th  bands  played  as  they  never 
had  before. 

Then,  in  addition,  the  whole  Keystone  organization 
passed  in  review  before  Secretary  Lansing  and  General 
Muir — for  three  hom'S  a  constant  stream  of  troops, 
wagons,  automobiles,  gun  carriages  and  machine  gun 
carts.  In  the  reviewing  party,  besides  Secretary  Lan- 
sing, were  Senator  Hitchcock,  of  Nebraska;  Hon.  John 
WiUiam  Davis,  Solicitor-General;  Major-General  Wil- 
liam P.  Duvall,  and  others.    Secretary  Lansing  was  so 


V 


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-.«.*.>vl^:^>»tf/r 


THE    CUB    WAR    CORRESPONDENT    AT    CAMP    HANCOCK 

When  the  daj''s  army  routine  was  over,  he  found   pleasure  in  njaking  the  typewriter  tell 
the  happenings  of  the  day  to  the  "folks  back  home" 


FIGHTING  WIND,  WINTER  AND  MEASLES        41 

delighted  with  the  baj^onet  demonstration  and  the  divi- 
sional review  that  he  immediately  issued  the  following 
commendation,  addressed  to  General  Muir : 

It  would  be  unjust  to  you  and  to  the  troops  under  your  com- 
mand if  I  did  not  express  to  you  m}?^  appreciation  of  the  honor  which 
you  did  me  in  the  review  of  the  division  at  Camp  Hancock  this 
morning.  It  was  a  splendid  exhibition  of  America's  young  man- 
hood under  arms  and  impressed  me,  as  I  am  sure  it  did  the  hundreds 
of  spectators,  with  the  martial  spirit  of  the  men  and  with  the  splendid 
training  which  they  have  received. 

I  hope  you  will  permit  me  to  congratulate  you  and  your  officers 
upon  what  has  been  accomplished  in  producing  so  highly  a  disci- 
plined force.  They  bear  witness  to  your  devotion  and  are  a  credit 
to  your  efforts  and  skill. 

I  must  also  congratulate  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  upon  the 
sturdy  type  of  men  who  compose  this  division.  No  finer  specimens 
of  manhood  can  be  found  in  the  armies  of  the  republic  than  the 
thousands  which  passed  in  review  to-day.  To  see  them  was  an  inspira- 
tion and  impressed  the  deep  conviction  that  with  such  defenders  the 
cause  of  liberty  is  safe. 

The  review  was  different  from  any  other  the  divisdon 
had  heretofore  staged,  in  that  every  unit  of  the  organiza- 
tion was  represented.  Even  the  big  Quad  trucks  were 
in  line,  passing  the  reviewing  stand  ten  abreast  and  trav- 
eling in  almost  perfect  alignment.  Of  the  infantry  units, 
none  presented  a  more  soldierly  or  snappy  appearance 
than  the  112th,  which  had  not  forgotten  Major  Stephen 
Fuqua's  remark  of  a  few  weeks  previous,  when  the 
Assistant  Chief  of  Staff  made  a  personal  inspection  of 
the  progi-ess  in  training  in  all  units.  "  It  is  thought  that 
the  snap  in  di'ill  shown  by  the  112th  Infantry  is  not  ex- 


42  WITH  THE  112TH1IN  FRANCE 

ceeded  by  any  other  regiment  in  camp,"  the  official  re- 
port declared. 

The  next  three  weeks  virtually  saw  the  finishing 
touches  put  on  the  training  at  Camp  Hancock ;  demon- 
strations similar  to  that  provided  for  the  entertainment 
of  Secretary  Lansing  and  his  friends  were  the  order 
of  the  day  in  the  big  oval,  the  majority  of  these  being 
under  the  supervision  of  Captain  Hugh  R.  Doane,  who 
later  became  a  member  of  the  112th  Infantry  when  Cap- 
tain Charles  F.  Geary,  commanding  Company  H,  was 
honorably  discharged. 

On  March  25th  Brigadier-General  William  Weigel, 
of  Ayer,  Mass.,  who  was  destined  to  lead  the  56th  Bri- 
gade through  the  first  trying  days  in  France,  arrived  at 
camp  and  immediately  assumed  his  duties ;  from  the  very 
first  he  made  a  splendid  impression.  With  General  Muir 
in  command  of  the  division,  and  such  an  officer  as  Gen- 
eral Weigel  in  charge  of  the  brigade,  and  each  officer  and 
man  of  the  112th  looking  forward  to  Colonel  Rickards* 
return,  the  greatest  confidence  was  felt  that  the  future's 
uncertainty  could  be  dealt  with  properly,  when  the  time 
came  for  the  real  test  on  the  field  of  battle. 

Friday  evening,  March  29th,  the  112th  played  host 
to  the  players  of  the  Washington  baseball  club.  Clark 
Griffith,  Walter  Johnson,  Harry  Harper,  Ed.  Garrity, 
Jim  Shaw,  Joe  Judge,  Howard  Shanks,  George  Mc- 
Bride,  Bert  Shotton,  John  Rupley  and  others  of  the 
Griff  men  were  present,  and  thoroughly  enjoyed  the 
regimental  parade  as  much  as  the  doughboys  were  de- 
lighted in  having  them  as  spectators.    That  night  they 


FIGHTING  WIND,  WINTER  AND  MEASLES        43 

were  ringside  fans  at  some  of  the  best  bouts  Lieutenant 
Louis  R.  Abel  had  arranged.  The  day  following  the 
112th  observed  a  hoHday  and  flocked  to  the  Augusta  ball 
grounds,  and  there  those  who  had  been  the  honor  guests 
of  the  infantry  outfit  the  night  before  trimmed  Rickards' 
youngsters,  4-0.  It  was  another  of  Walter  Jolmson's 
victories;  Frank  Hart,  of  Carlisle,  twirled  for  the  112th's 
team.  The  regimental  band  was  there  in  all  its  glorj; ; 
so  were  several  thousand  soldiers. 

This  was  among  the  last  games  that  the  112th  nine 
played;  for  arrival  of  the  new  Model  1917  U.  S.  rifles, 
Eddystone  pattern,  more  work  at  the  rifle  range,  and 
a  forty-eight-hom*  tour  of  dutj^  at  the  division  trenches, 
with  units  of  the  regiment  participating  in  No-Man's- 
Land  maneuvers,  and  scouting  tactics  at  night,  con- 
tributed to  make  April  a  busy  month.  By  the  15th 
practically  every  company  in  the  regiment  had  been  over 
the  rifle  range  once  with  the  new  rifle;  even  the  335 
draftees  who  had  joined  the  112th  from  Camps  Mei^de 
and  Travis  on  the  2d  and  3d  of  the  month  were  familiar 
with  the  heavier  type  of  firearm,  and  were  being  shown, 
too,  that  they  would  have  to  "  go  some  "  to  keep  up  with 
the  progress  already  made  by  the  regiment. 

From  that  time  on  there  was  no  talk  but  that  of 
movement,  and  day  to  day  orders  were  momentarily  ex- 
pected which  would  call  for  the  entraining  of  the  entire 
division.  On  April  19th,  in  accordance  with  semi-secret 
orders,  an  advance  detail  for  the  A.  E.  F.  school  at 
Langres,  France,  was  designated,  it  being  understood 
that  it  would  precede  the  regiment  overseas  by  several 


44  WITH  THE  IKTH  IN  FRANCE 

weeks.  The  organization  of  this  detail  was  left  to  Lieut.- 
Colonel  Robert  B.  Gamble,  with  First  Lieut.  John  F. 
Graff,  Jr.,  as  Adjutant.  Major  Charles  B.  Smathers 
was  selected  as  the  Field  Officer  from  the  regiment  to  go. 
The  remainder  of  the  detail  from  the  112th  Infantry- 
included  : 

From  Headquarters  Company:  Second  Lieut.  Her- 
man S.  Marshall,  Sergeants  Edward  G.  Romanosky, 
Charles  F.  Stern,  George  W.  Lewis  and  Philip  Short, 
to  attend  Trench  Mortar  and  37  mm.  Gun  School. 

From  Machine  Gun  Company:  Lieuts.  Allen  M. 
Cordell  and  Carl  R.  Freehafer;  Sergeants  Horace  A. 
Decker,  Harry  J.  Briggs  and  John  E.  Hasbrouck,  to 
attend  Machine  Gun  School. 

From  Rifle  Companies:  Captain  Rasselas  W. 
Brown;  First  Lieuts.  John  F.  Graff,  Frederick  L.  Pond 
and  Guss  I.  Knies;  Second  Lieuts.  Oswald  W.  Bridge 
and  Earl  A.  Sounders;  Sergeants  Frank  Callahan, 
Harry  F.  Shields  and  Charles  B.  Stafford. 

This  was  proof  enough  that  the  movement  was  actu- 
ally getting  under  way,  and  rumors  that  the  first  units 
would  entrain  shortly  were  borne  out  bj^  developments. 

The  advance  contingent  left  quietly  on  the  morning 
of  April  25th,  the  same  day  that  59  enemy  aliens  left  the 
112th  area  for  Camp  Cook,  Neb.,  there  to  spend  the 
war  days  while  the  old  outfit  was  having  its  hands  full 
overseas.  Those  last  daj^s  in  Camp  Hancock  were  made 
memorable  in  many  ways ;  trunks  had  long  since  started 
on  their  way  home,  every  doughboy  heart  was  keyed  up 


FIGHTING  WIND,  WINTER  AND  MEASLES        45 

as  never  before,  and  then  on  top  of  it  all  came  that  great 
farewell  parade,  when  the  Khaki  marched  with  the  Gray 
of  the  Southland  on  Confederate  Memorial  Day,  April 
26th,  through  Augusta  streets. 

Likewise  it  was  Liberty  Loan  Day,  with  the  nation 
pledging  anew  its  financial  assistance  to  Uncle  Sam. 
That  morning  Captain  Reuben  E.  Sharpe,  of  Company 
E,  known  as  the  "  officer  orator  "  of  the  regiment,  spoke 
at  Y  Hut  76.  Fifteen  hundred  soldiers  crowded  the 
place  to  the  doors,  and  scores  of  others  couldn't  gain 
entrance  at  all. 

Forecasting  an  early  movement  overseas — "  the  eve 
of  our  departure  on  the  Great  Adventure  "  the  speaker 
called  it — Captain  Sharpe  said : 

Our  work  is  just  beginning.  We  must  be  obedient,  we  must  be 
loyal,  we  must  do  our  part  and  do  it  willingly  and  without  grudging. 
Now  that  we  are  marking  time  for  a  few  hours  before  we  start  on 
the  Great  Journey  for  which  we  have  been  preparing  for  nine  months, 
let  us  think  of  all  the  things  that  we  have  learned.  Let  us  "  carry 
on  "  this  work,  solely  and  exclusively,  along  soldierly  and  military 
lines,  until  it  is  finished. 

If  we  put  our  hearts  and  energies  into  this  struggle,  the  same 
as  we  have  done  on  tlie  bayonet  course,  in  the  bombing  classes,  the 
close  order  drill  and  in  the  simulated  trench  attacks,  as  well  as  the 
rifle  course;  if  you  "carry  on"  with  that  same  spirit  it  will  carry 
you  through  to  the  end.  It  won't  take  long  to  finish  the  task  over 
there,  and  then  we  will  all  come  sailing  home,  to  be  happy  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  the  other  places  from  which  we  came. 

That  afternoon  the  112th  Infantry  made  history  in 
the  Southland.  It  not  only  paraded  for  the  last  time  in 
Augusta,  but  it  marched  as  the  representative  of  the 


46  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

28th  Division  with  those  veterans  who  had  fought  for 
the  Stars  and  Bars  in  the  Civil  War.  The  sons  of  the 
Blue  marched  with  the  men  of  the  Gray,  and  under  one 
flag  and  in  a  new-born  cause,  the  spirit  of  patriotism 
forged  anew  on  April  6,  1917,  swept  everything  be- 
fore it. 

Through  densely  packed  streets,  with  throngs  shout- 
ing the  rebel  yell,  with  the  Stars  and  Bars  and  the  Star- 
Spangled  Banner  flying  from  open  windows,  and  the 
112th  band  playing  "  Dixie  "  as  seldom  before,  the  sol- 
diers of  the  112th  Infantry  marched.  Broad  Street  and 
Greene  had  seldom  witnessed  more  impressive  scenes. 
The  South  cheered  the  North;  the  North  cheered  the 
South  as  the  veterans  passed;  and  here  and  there  eyes 
glistened.  The  parade  took  place  at  4  in  the  afternoon, 
but  the  boys  left  camp  at  1.30,  marching  to  Augusta  via 
Walton  Way,  over  13th  Street  to  Broad,  and  down  that 
highway.  Here  the  column  looked  its  prettiest,  as  it 
swung  into  platoon  formation,  following  close  upon  150 
khaki-clad  little  girls  who  marched  as  boosters  of  the 
Third  Liberty  Loan. 

Colonel  Rickards  and  his  staff  rode  at  the  head  of  the 
column,  with  the  third  battahon,  commanded  by  Major 
Abel  M.  MacReynolds,  occupying  first  place  in  line. 
Then  followed  the  second  battalion,  in  command  of  Cap- 
tain Lucius  M.  Phelps;  and  then  the  first,  in  charge  of 
Captain  Harry  F.  Miller;  last  in  order,  followed  the 
Machine  Gun,  Headquarters,  Sanitary  Detachment  and 
Supply  Company. 


FIGHTING  WIND,  WINTER  AND  MEASLES        47 

The  112th  Infantry  band  marched  behind  the  Regi- 
mental Staff.  Its  playing  of  "  Dixie  "  in  passing  the 
Confederate  monument  just  below  8th  Street  brought 
the  Southerners  to  their  feet  cheering;  frequency  of  the 
rebel  yell  was  evidence  that  the  days  of  1861-65  were  not 
altogether  forgotten.  / 

The  parade  formed  on  Broad  Street  between  7th  and 
11th,  with  the  head  of  the  column  at  7th  Street.  Led 
by  the  staff,  it  proceeded  down  Broad  to  Monument 
Street,  thence  to  Greene  and  down  to  4th,  over  CaDioun 
to  the  Augusta  cemetery.  Following  the  staff  came  the 
103d  Military  Police,  mounted;  the  Eagles'  fife  and 
drum  corps;  General  John  W.  Clark,  postmaster  of 
Augusta,  marshal  of  the  day,  and  his  staff;  then  150 
Augusta  girls  in  khaki  and  carrying  Liberty  Loan  ban- 
ners. The  112th  Infantry  took  up  the  march  behind  this 
escort,  followed  by  the  107th  Field  Artillery  band, 
mounted;  the  Hundred  Mounted  Club  of  Augusta's 
aristocracy,  and  then  another  artiUery  band,  playing 
"  Over  There  "  as  the  colmnn  came  around  the  Confed- 
erate monument  on  Greene  Street  and  the  crowds 
cheered. 

Miss  Mary  HaU,  prominent  Augustan,  and  until 
long  after  the  Keystone  boys  came  to  Hancock,  an  "  un- 
reconstructed rebel,"  who  refused  to  walk  on  the  same 
side  of  the  street  where  an  American  flag  was  flying, 
led  the  Confederate  veterans,  an  artilleryman  walking 
on  each  side  of  her.  Miss  Hall  lost  four  brothers  in  tlie 
Southern  cause,  and  her  antipathy  for  the  North  had 


48  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

only  been  appeased  a  few  months  before  the  parade. 
Fifty  Confederate  veterans,  dressed  in  gray,  trudged 
along,  carrying  the  tattered  battle-flags  of  the  Lost 
Cause.  These  five  old  colors,  with  the  Star-Spangled 
Banner  fluttering  in  their  midst,  drew  forth  one  storm 
of  applause  after  another. 

Berry  Benson,  old  and  feeble,  who  escaped  from 
Elmira  prison  during  the  strenuous  days  of  1861-65, 
marched  at  the  head  of  the  men  in  gray,  wearing  his  old 
imiform.  It  is  his  statue  that  surmounts  the  great  Con- 
federate column  on  Broad  Street. 

No  sight  was  more  enthralling,  more  patriotic,  than 
that  of  the  men  who  fought  for  the  Lost  Cause ;  and  hun- 
dreds of  Pennsylvania  boys  dressed  in  the  O.  D.  woolen 
uniform  in  which  they  were  soon  to  see  service  overseas 
were  more  than  impressed.  The  Richmond  Academy 
Cadets,  dressed  in  duck  trousers  and  blue  coats,  and  car- 
rying rifles,  formed  one  of  the  spectacular  features  of 
the  procession,  and  their  band  and  three  companies  were 
liberally  applauded  all  along  the  line  of  march. 

The  prettiest  feature  of  the  entire  parade,  however, 
came  when  the  head  of  the  column  stopped  at  Calhoun 
Street,  not  far  from  the  cemetery,  and  the  soldiers,  in 
double  rank,  and  facing  toward  the  line  of  march,  formed 
a  solid  wall  more  than  six  blocks  long,  winding  from  Fen- 
wick  Street  over  4th  to  Greene,  thence  to  Monument 
Street,  standing  at  present  arms  as  the  Confederate  sol- 
diers, their  tattered  colors  and  their  escort,  passed  slowly 
down  the  line. 


en 


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FIGHTING  WIND,  WINTER  AND  MEASLES        49 

One  of  the  112th  soldier  boys  who  was  in  the  parade 
said: 

I  have  seen  the  old  l6th  take  part  in  Memorial  Day  parades 
back  North  in  honor  of  the  Boys  in  Blue;  I  have  heard  the  martial 
music  played  by  northern  bands,  but  no  parade  of  honor  was  more 
impressive  than  this.  No  one  in  the  long  line  of  soldiers  standing 
at  present  arms  as  the  veterans  of  the  Lost  Cause  passed  by  could 
help  but  feel  the  significance  of  the  great  sweeping  spirit  of  patri- 
otism which  has  made  the  North  and  South  one,  making  possible 
such  a  parade  of  the  boys  from  the  North,  who  are  just  leaving  on 
the  Great  Adventure,  and  the  honored  men  in  Gray,  who  are  not  to 
march  in  many  more. 

Colonel  Rickards,  after  he  and  his  staff  had  ridden 
the  hne,  declared  that  after  witnessing  such  a  parade  he 
felt  that  he  had  "  more  reason  than  ever  to  be  proud  of 
these  boys  from  north-western  and  south-central 
Pennsylvania." 

In  fact,  every  member  of  the  Staff  was  pleased,  and 
the  Augustans  themselves  were  delighted.  General 
John  W.  Clark,  Marshal  of  the  Day,  and  Major  Victor. 
D.  Barbot,  Adjutant,  had  gone  carefully  over  the  plans 
with  Colonel  Rickards  and  Captain  James  C.  Shaw,  and 
the  outcome  was  even  beyond  their  expectations. 

The  men  who  marched  and  those  who  looked  on 
knew  that  it  would  be  many  days  before  Pennsylvania 
lads  would  march  again  in  their  homeland.  And  it 
seemed  that  day  the  South  was  as  much  their  home  as  the 
good  old  Keystone  State  itself. 

With  such  a  memoiy  of  Augusta,  the  leave-taking 
came  a  few  days  later. 


CHAPTER  V 

PENNSYLVANIA'S  ROYAL  "GOD  BLESS  YOU" 

The  Trip  Northward  to  Camp  Upton,  April  30th, 
May  1st  and  2nd — Cheers  from  Delaware  and  Good 
Old  Philadelphia — Busy  Days  at  Upton — A  Last 
Fond   Look   at   the   Hudson,   Night   of  May   6th. 

Swinging  into  line  with  heavy  packs,  marching 
across  the  big  drill  field  as  they  had  tramped  in  perfect 
step  many  times  before,  the  112th  Infantry,  with  full 
field  equipment,  paraded  for  the  last  time  in  the  United 
States  shortly  before  sunset  on  April  29th.  Only  a 
handful  of  spectators  saw  the  regiment  pass  in  review; 
it  was  most  impressive,  nevertheless,  and  the  boys,  know- 
ing they  were  soon  to  leave,  seemed  at  their  best.  Col- 
onel Rickards  was  intensely  gratified  at  the  showing. 

That  night  all  passes  were  under  the  ban,  though  a 
few  doughboys  who  were  willing  to  take  a  chance  did  shp 
away  to  Augusta.  The  last  day  of  April  dawned  cold, 
cloudy  and  generally  discom*aging ;  Headquarters  Com- 
pany men  rolled  packs  dm^ing  the  forenoon,  and  looking 
almost  as  downcast  as  the  weather  happened  to  be  at 
that  time,  fell  into  line,  obeyed  the  "  squads  right  "  and 
"  column  left  " ;  and  the  regimental  band,  blazing  away 
with  that  great  old  favorite,  "  The  Old  Gray  Mare,"  led 
the  way  from  Pennsylvania  Avenue  across  the  Wrights- 
boro  Road  and  the  artillery  drill  field  to  Wheless  station. 

This  was  the  break-away  from  the  Southland! 

50 


PENNSYLVANIA'S  ROYAL  "GOD  BLESS  YOU"      51 

At  3.36  the  train  of  tourist  sleepers  pulled  out  of  the 
Wheless  yards,  while  a  lone  newspaper  correspondent, 
Joseph  Orr,  of  the  Oil  City  Derrick,  and  a  few  by- 
standers looked  on,  unable  to  express  their  thoughts. 
Thus  was  the  trip  northward  started.  At  4.30  Com- 
panies A  and  B  were  on  their  way,  and  a  half-hour  later 
Companies  C  and  D  departed.  The  two  days  following 
saw  all  of  the  112th  entraining  for  New  York  and 
Camp  Upton. 

Nine  o'clock  found  the  first  section  of  happy  dough- 
boys— for  once  Camp  Hancock  was  left  in  the  back- 
ground, their  better  spirits  had  full  play — at  Sumter, 
S.  C,  with  a  small  crowd  at  the  station  braving  a  driz- 
zhng  rain  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  troops.  An  hour  later 
the  train  passed  through  Florence,  S.  C,  but  most  of  the 
soldiers  aboard  the  lightless  special  had  fallen  asleep  by 
that  time.  The  trip  over  the  Savannah  and  through  the 
Carolina  swamps,  lonely  and  desolate  as  they  appeared 
to  be,  all  possessed  a  weird  fascination  for  excited 
doughboys  who  knew  at  last  they  were  on  the  move. 

And  then  another  day  came — May  1st,  with  the  troop 
train  speeding  north  through  North  Carohna,  Virginia, 
Delaware  and  Pennsylvania.  Instead  of  passing 
through  Richmond,  as  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line  trains 
usually  do,  the  first  section  skirted  that  city,  crossed  the 
James  River  and  continued  north.  It  was  about  8.30 
when  Richmond  appeared  in  tlie  distance.  Two  hours 
later  the  doughboy  special  passed  the  historic  residence 
where  Stonewall  Jackson  died,  and  at  11  we  had  reached 


52  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Fredericksburg,  quaint  old  Virginia  town  that  it  still 
remains.  Then  it  wasn't  long  until  the  train  was  cross- 
ing the  Rappahannock,  then  along  the  Potomac,  whose 
broad  stretches  interested  the  care-free  youngsters  on 
board;  then  past  Quantico,  Va.,  the  training  camp  of  the 
Marines.  At  1.25  in  the  afternoon  we  detrained  in  the 
yards  near  Washington,  marched  for  several  squares 
around  Camp  Meigs,  and  then  boarded  the  train. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  as  the  train  sped  through 
Delaware,  the  memorable  reception  by  the  people  of  the 
North  began.  From  every  house,  every  yard  and  every 
street  came  the  flutter  of  handkerchiefs  and  the  waving 
of  hands,  and  as  the  train  kept  up  its  speed  and  bowled 
along  from  one  station  to  another,  cheers  of  the  dough- 
boys on  board  echoed  the  answer  to  the  greetings  from 
the  folks  who  cried,  "  Go  get  the  Kaiser!  We're  with 
you,  men !  "  and  a  score  of  other  shouts.  It  was  7  that 
night  when  the  section  pulled  into  the  Philadelphia  yards 
of  the  B.  k  O.,  and  there  a  large  crowd  quickly  gathered, 
and  the  band,  catching  the  spirit  of  the  occasion,  got 
busy  with  "Over  There,"  "Keep  the  Home  Fires  Burn- 
ing," and,  naturally,  "  The  Old  Gray  Mare."  Never 
will  those  boys  who  rode  northward  that  day  forget  the 
enthusiastic  reception  and  the  Iiearty  cheering  that  the 
people  of  Delaware,  Pennsylvania  and  especially  of  the 
Quaker  City  extended  to  them.  It  was  equaled  only  in 
1919,  when,  almost  a  year  to  the  day,  the  112th  Regiment 
docked  in  Philadelphia  and  proceeded  by  train  to 
Camp  Dix. 


PENNSYLVANIA'S  ROYAL  "GOD  BLESS  YOU"      53 

At  3.45  the  next  morning  the  train  came  to  a  stop 
in  the  yards  outside  of  Jersey  City.  At  4.30  the  last 
breakfast  aboard  the  special  was  served,  and  at  8.50, 
more  than  four  hours  later,  the  train  pulled  out  of  the 
yards  and  into  the  Central  Jersey  pier;  there  the  enthusi- 
astic personnel,  catching  a  glimpse  of  New  York  across 
the  river,  boarded  the  ferry,  patronized  a  number  of 
sandwich  men,  bought  candy  and  cracker  jack,  and  at  11, 
with  baggage  jammed  on  the  same  boat,  crossed  the 
Hudson,  rounded  the  Battery  and  proceeded  up  the 
East  River  to  the  Long  Island  station  in  Long 
Island  City. 

Owing  to  the  troop  movement,  there  was  no  regular 
dinner  nor  even  a  substitute.  The  men  got  along  as  best 
they  could.  The  trip  across  Long  Island  started  at  1.25, 
aboard  steel  and  concrete  Long  Island  cars  which  made 
fast  time.  Two  of  a  quartette  of  aeroplanes,  presimi- 
ably  from  the  Mineola  flying  ground,  raced  with  and 
circled  over  the  train  near  Hicksville  and  about  Jamaica. 
At  3.36  P.M.,  exactly  forty-eight  hours  from  the  time  the 
first  section  had  left  Wheless  station  at  Camp  Hancock, 
the  Long  Island  interurban  train  came  to  a  stop  at  the 
Upton  Terminal  and  we  piled  out,  packs,  rifles  and  all. 
The  band  led  the  march  to  the  barracks,  not  far  from 
the  comer  of  4th  Avenue  and  4th  Street,  which  was  im- 
mediately designated  as  Regimental  Headquarters. 

Following  this  uneventful  arrival  came  three  glori- 
ously busy  days  in  which  it  seemed  as  though  every  man 
in  the  ranks  and  every  officer  was  so  busy  that  he  had 


54  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

hiirdly  time  to  sleep  or  eat;  there  was  something  doing 
every  minute.  The  remainder  of  the  regiment  reached 
camp  during  Friday,  May  3d,  a  number  of  the  units 
making  a  more  rapid  trip  because  they  were  whisked 
through  the  Hudson  River  tubes.  May  4!th  was  one  of 
the  busiest  days  in  "  this  man's  army,"  and  each  aspiring 
j^omigster  got  his  "  tin  Kelly,"  or  steel  helmet,  got  his 
share  of  new  clothing  and  was  outfitted  with  new  hob- 
nails; in  addition,  there  were  new  socks  for  old  and 
serviceable  clothing  for  any  that  had  become  torn  on  the 
last  lap  of  the  trip. 

That  night  a  special  detail,  consisting  of  Colonel 
George  C.  Rickards,  Major  William  C.  Hogan,  Captain 
James  C.  Shaw,  Color  Sergeant  Miles  C.  Shoup,  Private 
James  Carrigan,  Private  Frank  Waldo  and  myself  left 
the  camp,  boarding  the  regular  Upton  express  for  the 
Pennsylvania  station.  But  I  shall  let  the  diary  I  have 
kept  tell  the  story  now: 

At  7.03  we  left  the  Camp  Upton  Terminal,  really  nothing  more 
than  a  shed  of  a  station,  and  at  8.03  we  walked  out  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania station  in  New  York  City,  moved  over  to  Broadway  and  then 
with  some  curious  bystanders  looking  on,  for  we  were  carrying  our 
rifles  and  full  equipment,  went  down  at  33d  Street  to  get  the  Hudson 
Tube  train  for  Hoboken.  It  wasn't  long  until  we  were  over  there, 
and  then  began  the  hike  up  along  what  was  formerly  the  Hamburg- 
American  Line  piers,  now  conspicuously  marked  U.  S.  Transport 
Service.  We  reported  at  Pier  2  and  were  assigned  a  place  to  sleep 
on  the  third  floor  of  a  former  warehouse  which  now  houses  soldiers 
from  Texas,  Carolina  and  all  over,  most  of  them  engaged  in  guard 
service  about  the  piers.  Miles  and  Ii  took  a  shower,  but  the  most 
interesting  part  of  the  trip  to-night  outside  of  seeing  camouflaged 


PENNSYLVANIA'S  ROYAL  "GOD  BLESS  YOU"      55 

ships  and  learning  that  we  were  soon  to  sail,  was  the  two  chocolate 
ice-cream  sodas  that  I  got  at  the  tube  station — and  the  last,  by  the 
way,  that  I  had  until  I  reached  the  United  States  a  year  later. 

A  trip  to  West  23d  Street  the  following  morning.  May  5th,  re- 
sulted in  our  reaching  Cunard  pier  56,  and  that  day  the  special 
detail  established  itself  aboard  the  leviathan  and  got  things  in  work- 
ing order  for  the  troop  arrival  Monday.  The  entire  regiment,  which 
had  left  between  3  and  4  the  morning  of  May  6th,  started  coming 
aboard  at  9  o'clock,  and  were  still  pushing  their  way  into  the  big 
ship  two  hours  later.  It  was  a  steady  tramp-tramp  right  along. 
The  boys  carried  their  steel  helmets  and  emergency  rations,  and 
looked  somewhat  tired  as  they  came  up  the  gangplank.  Then  came 
the  rush  for  Red  Cross  postals,  to  be  filled  out  and  held  until  the 
ship  arrived  safely  overseas ;  but  the  folks  at  home  who  got  the 
deluge  of  "  Safely  Overseas  "  cards  know  that  part  of  the  story. 

My  diary  records: 

Eating  on  shipboard  is  some  problem  the  first  day — it  looks 
more  like  a  riot  than  anything  else.  It  takes  a  man  half  an  hour  or 
more  to  get  something  that  is  eaten  in  five  minutes.  To-night  I 
watched  the  mail  bags  going  into  the  hold,  saw  the  fellows  crowding 
the  upper  decks,  watching  the  flickering  lights  of  the  North  River. 
I  saw  ferries  flitting  by,  boats  on  which  I  had  ridden  in  days  pre- 
khaki.  I  realized  then,  however,  that  in  this  Arabian  Nights  trip 
everything  is  to  be  very,  very  real. 

None  of  us  knew  then  what  the  future  held  in  store  for 
us.  Had  we  been  able  to  see,  had  someone  been  able  to 
foretell,  had  some  di\nne  power  told  us  that  this  soldier 
and  that,  here  and  there  among  the  thousands  on  board, 
were  to  sleep  on  the  battle-fields  of  France  witliin  the 
next  three  or  fourth  months,  perliaps  hearts  would  not 
have  been  so  brave  and  hopes  so  high  that  night  of 
May  6th,  with  the  Great  Adventure  just  about  to  start. 


56  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

I  can  well  recall  how  attentive  a  group  of  doughboys 
on  the  stern  of  the  ship  happened  to  be  that  evening  to 
the  stories  of  the  western  front,  told  by  a  sailor  who  had 
heard  the  stories  in  turn  from  wounded  passengers 
aboard  the  Aquitania  when  the  vessel  was  a  Mediterra- 
nean hospital  ship ;  to  us  it  seemed  like  a  dream  that  we 
were  leaving  home,  friends  and  the  country  we  loved,  for- 
saking these  in  our  patriotism  to  carry  on  a  war  nearly 
four  thousand  miles  away. 

But  we  were  going,  leaving  the  life  we  had  known 
so  well  and  the  comforts  we  had  not  appreciated  until  we 
became  a  part  of  the  army.  That  night  as  we  turned  in, 
Old  Dame  Rumor  had  it  that  the  morrow  might  see  our 
departure. 


PART  TWO 

UP  THE  LINE  IN  FRANCE 

FROM  BRITISH  AND  FRENCH  TRAINING  DAYS  TO  REAL 
ACTION  ALONG  THE  VESLE  AND  IN  THE  ARGONNE 

PERIOD  FROM  MAY  7,  1918,  TO  NOVEMBER  11,  1918 


CHAPTER  VI 

ACROSS  THE  OCEAN  ON  A  PALACE  SHIP 

A  Seven-Day  Voyage  on  the  Aquitania  to  Liver- 
pool— No  Submarines  Encountered — Hurried  Journey 
Across  England,  With  a  Glimpse  of  Folkestone 
and  Dover — Landing  in  Calais  at  4  p.m.,  May  16th. 

And  then  the  Aquitania  sailed. 

Promptly  at  8  the  next  morning,  that  memorable 
May  7th,  the  third  anniversary  of  Germany's  sinking 
of  the  Cunard  liner  Lusitania,  with  a  loss  of  1154  lives, 
the  transport  slid  quietly  out  of  her  berth  in  the  North 
River,  headed  downstream,  and  at  8.22  passed  the  Col- 
gate clock,  and  at  8.30  bade  farewell  to  the  Statue  of 
Liberty  on  Bedloe's  Island. 

Loaded  transports,  camouflaged  in  all  colors  and  de- 
signs, sighted  on  the  Hoboken  side  and  at  anchor  in  the 
river,  interested  those  who  thronged  the  portholes,  but  it 
was  that  saying  of  Good-bye  to  the  bronze  Goddess  of 
Liberty  that  proved  the  parting.  By  4  that  afternoon 
the  trip  was  well  under  way  and  land  had  long  since 
disappeared. 

Honors  for  the  first  tour  of  guard  duty  went  to  Com- 
pany D ;  Company  A  drew  the  detail  for  the  following 
day.  A  regular  schedule  of  bugle  calls  was  outlined, 
and  military  discipline  directed  the  activities  of  the  six 
thousand  and  more  troops  aboard.  Among  the  units  on 
the  big  Hner  were:  The  112th  Infantry,  103d  Headcpiar- 

5U 


60  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

ters  Train  and  Military  Police,  12th  Machine  Gun  Bat- 
talion, 59th  Infantry  Machine  Gun  Company,  109th 
Machine  Gun  Battalion,  837th  and  834th  Aero  Squad- 
rons. Then  there  were  such  officers  on  board  as  General 
Hutchison,  General  Reed,  Colonel  Armstrong,  a  num- 
ber of  majors  and  Lieut.-Commander  Roye,  of  Ad- 
miral Sims'  staff. 

The  trip  could  not  have  been  improved  upon ;  weather 
was  splendid  on  all  but  one  or  two  days,  and  as  to  sub- 
marines, not  a  one  was  encountered.  As  to  the  activities 
day  to  day  and  the  hf e  on  board  the  great  ship  itself,  the 
following  letters,  first  to  be  mailed  upon  arrival  at  Liver- 
pool and  first  of  the  112th  letters  to  pass  censor  and  reach 
the  United  States,  can  best  describe  the  interesting 
period  from  May  7th  to  May  14th: 


somewiiese  in  the  atlantic, 
May  8,  1918. 

Without  any  blare  of  whistles,  with  no  cheering 
crowds — just  quietly,  as  if  she  were  one  of  the  many  tugs 
plying  about  the  port,  the  big  palace  ship  on  which  we 
are  Europe-bound,  pulled  into  mid-stream  at  8  o'clock 
yesterday  morning.  Our  journey  overseas,  every  en- 
thusiastic soldier  boy  aboard  is  hoping,  will  be  a  pleas- 
ant excursion. 

Thirty  hours  have  passed  since  the  start  was  made, 
and  for  hundi-eds  of  those  who  are  on  tlie  passenger  list 
these  hopes  have  been  borne  out.    Only  a  few  have  be- 


ACROSS  THE  OCEAN  ON  A  PALACE  SHIP    61 

come  seasick — so  few  up  until  the  present  time  that  the 
number  is  ahnost  negligible. 

Everywhere,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see,  is  the  broad 
expanse  of  ocean,  with  not  a  single  ship  to  relieve  the 
monotony  of  whitecaps  and  deep  blue  water.  All  day 
long,  with  a  warm  summer  sun  beating  upon  the  decks, 
these  khaki-clad  boys  have  been  enjoying  all  the  sensa- 
tions of  the  first  days  at  sea,  and  are  at  the  rail  as  long 
as  there  is  dayhght. 

Mess-time,  which  is  at  6.15  a.m.,  11.15  a.m.  and  4.45 
P.M.  for  those  who  are  at  the  first  sitting — and  an  hour 
later  for  those  at  the  second — is  the  signal  that  clears  the 
decks,  however;  just  as  much  as  "  assembly,"  blown  by 
the  buglers,  sends  every  man  to  his  bunk  in  the  thousand 
and  one  corners  of  the  ship,  and  he  knows  then  that  it  is 
time  for  the  regular  boat  drill.  The  first  boat  drill  was 
held  to-day,  and  was  successful  in  all  particulars,  and 
the  men  took  to  the  practice  good-naturedly.  They  wel- 
come anything  that  relieves  the  monotony  of  sea-gazing. 

Few  ships  are  passed,  and  those  few  which  have  been 
seen  'way  off  on  the  horizon  have  aroused  the  curiosity 
of  the  boys.  There  is  a  delight  in  seeing  the  crack  gmi 
crew  train  the  big  rifles  on  every  craft  that  passes,  even 
at  a  distance.  Two  American  infantr^Tnen  stand  at  each 
gun,  assisting  in  the  observation,  and  sergeants,  with 
their  spyglasses,  are  continually  scouring  the  sea.  So  if 
any  U-boats  come  into  sight  unexpectedly,  there'll  be  a 
warm  reception  for  them. 

Everything  has  been  going  splendidly  so  far.  Nearly 


62  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

everj'^  soldier  aboard,  except  those  detailed  for  kitchen 
police,  for  orderly  jobs  or  for  guard  duty,  has  been  tak- 
ing a  much-needed  rest.  This  is  not  true  of  the  office 
force,  however,  which  has  been  on  the  job  from  early  in 
the  morning  imtil  "  hghts  out  "  at  10  each  night.  There 
has  been  a  great  amount  of  clerical  work  to  be  done,  and 
the  typewriters  are  kept  going  practically  without 
interruption. 

On  the  bulletin  boards  this  afternoon  the  Wireless 
News,  the  typewritten  sheet  with  a  few  flashes  from  the 
war  zone,  was  posted.  There  was  a  time  when  such  ships 
as  these,  bound  for  ocean  ports,  printed  a  daily  paper  of 
four  pages,  but  in  these  war  times  such  things  are  out  of 
the  question.  But  even  the  few  wireless  flashes,  telling 
of  British  gains  "  in  the  neighborhood  of  Nieuville 
Vetasse,"  and  of  French  artillery  actions,  not  to  omit 
mention  of  Tuesday's  American  baseball  scores,  proved 
the  center  of  attention  for  the  officers. 

But  the  big  item  of  interest  for  the  soldier  boys  is 
getting  acquainted  with  the  ship,  so  far  as  it  is  possible 
with  the  many  guards  estabhshed  on  all  decks,  and  in 
making  these  few  rest  days  as  memorably  pleasant  as 
possible.  Despite  somewhat  crowded  conditions  and 
English  cooking — which  some  have  not  yet  become  ac- 
customed to — they  are  still  living  up  to  their  reputation 
as  good  soldiers. 

As  you  might  know,  I  am  going  to  keep  a  record  of 
the  trip,  and  here,  at  random,  are  a  few  of  the  notes  I 
have  put  down.     I  started  it  the  first  day  I  came  on. 


ACROSS  THE  OCEAN  ON  A  PALACE  SHIP    63 

twenty-four  hours  before  the  troops  arrived,  for  four 
of  us  fellows  had  been  designated  for  the  advance  detail, 
to  get  the  office  ready  and  to  assist  in  whatever  prehm- 
inary  work  there  was. 

The  two  meals  we  had  that  Simday  when  we  were  on 
the  ship  alone  will  not  soon  be  forgotten,  for  they  were 
as  good  as  any  served  in  any  American  hotel,  but  the 
ones  which  followed  were  naturally  not  so  generous. 
They  were  substantial,  of  course,  but  not  equal  to  the 
ones  of  the  first  day.  However,  the  non-commissioned 
officers  "  above  Grade  17,"  which  included  the  first  ser- 
geants, the  color  sergeants  and  all  sergeant-majors,  were 
splendid,  from  all  reports.  They  were  served  as  real 
tourists,  sitting  at  tables  of  four,  with  members  of  the 
ship's  crew  waiting  upon  them. 

Then  on  Monday  I  saw  the  troops  come  on  board.  It 
was  a  steady  tramp,  tramp  right  along.  They  carried 
their  new  steel  helmets  and  emergency  rations,  some  car- 
ried overcoats  and  surplus  baggage,  in  addition  to  their 
heavy  packs  and  rifles,  and  they  were  a  tired-looking 
bunch.  But  when  they  had  had  their  first  meal,  despite 
the  riotous  rush  there  was,  they  began  to  forget  the  early 
departure  from  the  embarkation  camp,  from  which  a 
start  had  been  made  at  4  in  the  morning. 

One  of  the  incidents  aboard  ship  that  first  day  was 
the  rush  for  Red  Cross  postals,  which,  when  properly 
filled  out,  would  in  due  time  inform  the  folks  at  home 
of  the  safe  arrival  of  the  boys  overseas.  I  only  hope  that 
all  these  cards  reach  their  destination — not  alone  that  this 


64  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

may  be  a  safe  trip,  but  that  these  folks  back  home  wiU 
soon  get  word  which  will  explain  the  absence  of  letters. 
Two  cards  were  given  to  each  soldier,  and  no  time  was 
lost  in  filling  them  out  and  placing  them  in  the  mail  bag, 
which  was  hung  near  one  of  the  gangplanks. 

It  was  wonderful  to  see  those  fellows  crowding  the 
deck  the  first  night  aboard — which  was  their  last,  too — at 
the  port  of  embarkation.  They  looked  wistfully  at  the 
many  hghts  and  at  all  signs  of  activity,  and  they  watched 
with  more  than  ordinary  interest,  it  seemed,  the  loading 
of  the  mail  bags,  which  continued  from  early  in  the  after- 
noon until  long  after  dark.  Each  soldier  boy  was  hoping 
that  in  one  of  those  bags,  perhaps,  was  a  message  from 
home,  forwarded  many  times,  which  would  reach  him 
soon  after  the  ship  docked  "  over  there." 

And  now  that  the  voyage  has  begun,  the  fellows  who 
enlisted  a  year  or  so  ago  are  beginning  to  reaHze  that 
this  excursion  across,  pleasant  now,  may  some  day  have 
its  grimmer  features.  No  one  at  present  knows  where 
the  ship  is — whether  it  is  passing  through  the  Gulf 
Stream,  as  many  believe,  or  whether  that  is  merely  an 
expression  of  opinion.  The  ship's  officers  know,  but 
they  are  telling  nothing  about  the  speed  being  made,  the 
route,  the  destination  or  any  of  those  details — and  it  is 
just  as  well  they  don't.  It  gives  the  boys  a  great  deal  to 
speculate  about  anyhow  and  everyone  is  agreed  that  the 
vessel  is  making  good  time. 

I  am  bunking  with  the  mihtary  police,  far  from  my 
own  outfit.    I  did  not  even  unroll  my  pack  when  I  turned 


ACROSS  THE  OCEAN  ON  A  PALACE  SHIP    65 

in  the  first  and  second  nights,  for  we  are  located  'way 
down  in  the  hold  of  the  ship,  where  it  is  so  warm  that  a 
healthy  soldier  boy  needs  no  blankets  to  keep  warm.  The 
bunks,  for  the  most  part,  are  constructed  of  iron  tubing, 
and  arranged  in  sixes  and  eights,  so  far  as  sections  are 
concerned.  Each  section  is  two  bunks  "  high,"  consist- 
ing of  a  series  of  lower  and  upper  bunks,  and  it  is  quite  a 
contortion  to  get  to  bed  without  disturbing  any  of  the 
other  soldiers  sleeping  or  resting  near  you. 

Bugle  calls  were  blown  for  the  first  time  Tuesday 
afternoon,  and  so  by  to-day  the  men  were  accustomed  to 
them  to  a  large  extent.  "  Assembly  "  sends  them  to  their 
quarters  and  "  fire  call  "  brings  them  hurrying  up,  in  or- 
derly fashion,  to  the  boats. 

I  am  sending  in  this  letter  a  copy  of  the  ship's  wire- 
less news  of  the  day,  which  might  prove  interesting. 
There  is  no  message  that  I  can  send  at  this  time  other 
than  that  I  am  well,  and  though  working  just  as  much 
as  ever,  am  still  able  to  find  a  little  while  to  enjoy  wliat 
scenery  is  to  be  seen.  But  ever5i;hing  still  seems  very 
strange,  for  this  is  the  longest  period  most  of  us  have 
ever  been  out  at  sea — and  we're  just  waking  up  to  the 
fact,  too,  that  we're  a  long  ways  from  home. 

Nobody  is  studying  French  yet ;  there  isn't  time  for 
that,  but  undoubtedly  some  of  the  boys  will  be  getting 
down  to  that  as  the  ship  keeps  getting  nearer  the  "  other 
side."  Just  remember  that  I  am  well  and  contented, 
feel  in  the  best  of  spirits,  and  that  I  am  sending  my  love 
as  ever.    Write  when  you  can,  for  a  letter  written  from 

6 


66  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

the  old  home  town  and  received  "  over  there  "  will  be 
a  priceless  possession — to  be  carried  for  days  until  it  falls 
apart.  But  even  if  we  are  enjoying  new  experiences, 
our  thoughts  are  ever  turning  to  the  folks  we  love 
"  back  there." 

Far  Out  at  Sea,  Atlantic  Ocean, 
May  10,  1918. 

We  are  just  starting  on  our  fourth  day  at  sea,  and 
hke  all  of  the  other  three,  despite  the  cloudy,  foggy  at- 
mosphere and  a  drizzle  of  rain,  the  ocean  is  as  calm  as 
the  Allegheny  River.  And  so,  contrary  to  even  the 
fondest  expectations,  there  has  been  no  seasickness  to 
speak  of.  Comparison  of  notes  accounts  for  only  two 
cases  among  the  hundreds  of  soldier  boys  aboard — or 
the  thousands,  for  that  matter. 

For  there  are  upwards  of  more  than  six  thousand 
doughboys  on  this  ship,  and  then  the  figures  are  by  no 
means  exact.  They  are  enjoying  every  minute  of  the 
trip  and  all  of  the  daylight  hom-s,  so  far  as  they  are  not 
taken  up  with  waiting  in  the  long  mess  hues  extending 
throughout  the  lower  decks  of  the  big  ship  or  in  partici- 
pation of  the  several  boat  drills  daily,  are  spent  on  the 
upper  decks.  The  fascination  of  sea-gazing,  it  seems, 
will  never  end,  and  sponges,  small  octopus,  various-sized 
fish  and  the  continual  dashing  of  foam  and  spray  as  the 
big  liner  plows  along  only  serve  to  add  interest  to  the 
great  stretch  of  water  and  its  never-changing  landscape. 

A  passing  vessel  is  sometliing  that  is  ever  searched 


ACROSS  THE  OCEAN  ON  A  PALACE  SHIP  67 

for,  and  so  when  a  two-fimneled  camouflaged  ship  ap- 
peared some  three  miles  or  more  away  yesterday  and  its 
faint  outlines  could  be  discerned,  scores  flocked  to  the 
port  side  of  the  vessel  and  watched  it  until  it  had  disap- 
peared from  view.  'No  one  knew  its  name,  but  all  guessed 
its  destination — for  it  was  headed  westward.  Smoke 
curled  lazily  from  the  two  funnels,  and  with  no  back- 
ground save  the  unlimited  expanse  of  sky,  it  seemed  to 
many  aboard  that  the  big  vessel  was  standing  still.  Ser- 
geants equipped  with  binoculars  lost  no  time  in  bringing 
them  into  play  and  getting  a  closer  \aew  of  the  craft. 

But  the  remarkable  thing  about  this  whole  trip  is  the 
manner  in  which  these  soldier  boys  of  the  land  have 
adapted  themselves  to  the  sea,  have  learned  to  speak  of 
the  starboard,  port  and  aft;  have  learned  how  to  get 
about  the  ship  without  asking  innumerable  questions  and 
are  able,  with  only  a  day's  practice,  to  dash  up  several 
companionways — as  the  stairways  are  called — and  ar- 
rive at  their  boat  stations,  ready  to  jump  in  at  the  word, 
in  only  a  fraction  of  a  minute.  When  you  see  these 
hardy-looking  fellows,  boys  you  and  I  know,  you  can 
appreciate  what  months  of  training  in  a  camp  have  done 
for  them,  and  what  these  few  days'  experience  at  sea  has 
added  to  that  rapidly  growing  stock  of  knowledge.  They 
have  not  only  found  their  sea-legs,  but  they  are  growing 
to  love  the  sea  life  as  much  as  they  did  the  bayonet  runs, 
the  bombing  practice,  and  the  regimental  parades,  now 
seemingly  far  in  the  background. 

It  was  an  odd  experience  yesterday  morning  to  crawl 


68  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

out  of  those  little  two-by-four  bunks  forty-five  minutes 
ahead  of  schedule,  with  eyes  still  half  closed,  and  then 
have  some  one  of  the  ship's  crew  remind  you  that  you 
were  traveling  farther  east  every  hour  and  it  was  time 
to  set  the  clocks  forward  that  much.  It  will  not  be  many 
days,  the  boys  are  figuring,  until  we  can  say  to  ourselves, 
"  Well,  it's  noon  here,  but  it  is  only  7  o'clock  Eastern 
time  back  in  the  States." 

The  folks  back  home  can  never  appreciate  how  price- 
less a  magazine  or  a  good  book  is  at  sea,  especially  on 
such  a  trip  as  this.  A  number  of  boys,  when  they  started 
for  the  embarkation  camp,  carried  copies  of  the  Literary 
Digest,  Cosmopolitan,  Collier's  or  some  other  magazine, 
a  few  carried  books ;  but  as  packs  grew  heavier  and  the 
magazines  became  worn,  these  were  left  behind.  So  by 
the  time  of  embarking  on  this  ship — which  really  came  as 
a  sm'prise  to  nearly  everyone — these  books  and  maga- 
zines had  been  cast  aside.  Fortunately,  however,  a 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretary,  bound  for  England,  is  on  board, 
and  with  several  boxes  of  good  books,  the  gifts  of  a  gen- 
erous American  public  to  the  soldier  boys,  through  the 
American  Library  Association,  these  fellows  who  are 
hungry  to  read  are  able  to  "  go  to  it "  for  the  most  of 
the  day. 

Now  and  then  you'll  hear  some  joke  about  the  day's 
mail  coming  in;  at  first,  it  was  about  the  newspapers, 
for  the  fellows  devoured  the  big  city  papers  when  they 
reached  the  port  of  embarkation.  But  this  ship,  as  I  have 
explained,  goes  the  home  papers  one  better,  and  we  are 


ACROSS  THE  OCEAN  ON  A  PALACE  SHIP         69 

getting  our  nine  or  ten  little  items  of  wireless  news  every 
morning.  Officers  and  men  alike  are  therefore  taking 
a  great  interest  in  the  ball  scores  and  the  advance  on 
the  British  front.  One  copy  is  furnished  the  office  by  the 
wireless  operator  and  then  a  number  of  other  copies 
are  made. 

Our  first  real  gun  practice  took  place  last  night  and 
the  boys  lined  the  rail,  fore  and  aft,  to  see  the  gun  crews 
pick  up  the  target.  In  this  they  lost  no  time,  and  then 
the  guns  let  go.  Some  youngsters,  standing  close  to  the 
rail  or  sitting  upon  it,  learned  what  gun  recoil  was — 
a  few  hats  went  overboard  and  some  sat  down  on  the 
deck  with  a  thump  that  shook  them  up.  The  six-inch 
guns,  in  the  hands  of  expert  gun  crews,  showered  shells 
all  around  the  stake,  supposed  to  be  the  sub's  periscope, 
and  then  one  gunner — the  boys  say  he  is  an  American 
named  Adams  and  one  of  the  real  expert  shots  in  the 
British  Navy — hit  the  mark  four  times  at  a  range  of 
more  than  2000  yards.  The  fellows  are  figuring  that 
there  won't  be  many  such  practices  before  we  hit  the 
"  war  zone,"  and  then  every  shot  will  mean  something. 

This  is  a  great  old  ship  for  rimiors.  The  crew  de- 
hghts  in  telling  the  boys  how  many  U-boats  were  sighted 
on  the  last  trip — these  are  undoubtedly  true  to  some 
extent,  for  such  a  vessel  as  this  would  indeed  be  a  choice 
prize,  but  game  British  gunners  and  wide-awake  Ameri- 
can soldier  boys  aren't  going  to  let  Fritz  put  one  over 
without  hearing  a  disastrous  echo. 

I  meant  to  tell  you  that  Colonel  Rickards  is  in  charge 


70  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

of  all  the  troops  aboard  the  ship,  not  only  our  own  regi- 
ment, but  several  other  units  aboard.  Consequently,  he 
is  a  very  busy  man,  and  his  Adjutant,  Captain  Shaw, 
finds  plenty  to  keep  the  office  force  occupied  during  the 
day  and  up  to  within  a  few  minutes  of  "  lights  out." 

The  enhsted  men  have  the  privilege  of  walking  on 
all  decks  except  the  boat  deck  and  the  forepart  of  what 
is  known  as  A  deck.  These  are  reserved  for  the  officers. 
From  9  to  11.30  all  men  must  be  out  on  deck,  and  then 
a  thorough  inspection  of  theii-  quarters  is  made.  It  is 
surprising  how  neat  and  clean  soldier  boys,  in  such 
crowded  conditions,  can  keep  the  floors  of  the  bunk 
rooms.  There  are  at  least  two  boat  drills  in  the  after- 
noon, and  then,  as  a  reminder  of  days  back  in  camp, 
buglers  blow  retreat  at  6.30,  the  men  come  smartly  to 
attention,  and  as  the  national  anthem,  blown  by  the 
buglers,  goes  echoing  out  to  sea,  we  fellows  salute  as  in 
those  days  back  in  old  Camp  Hancock. 

Owing  to  the  continued  rain  and  strong  wind,  there 
were  no  lifeboat  drills  this  afternoon.  It  will  be  a  day, 
perhaps,  rumor  has  it,  before  we  are  in  the  danger  zone, 
but  we  must  be  all  of  1700  miles  out  to  sea  now.  The 
ocean  is  choppy  now,  and  the  ship  is  swaying  more  than 
at  any  time  since  we  started,  but  we  are  still  pretty  good 
sailors — I  am  surprised  at  myself,  in  fact — and  so  sea- 
sickness is  either  holding  off  to  a  large  extent  or  may 
pass  us  by  altogether. 

Last  night  we  fellows  talked  about  the  danger  from 
submarines  and  what  we  would  do  in  case  a  successful  ( ?) 


ACROSS  THE  OCEAN  ON  A  PALACE  SHIP    71 

attack  was  made.  That  question  mark  is  there  because 
of  the  confidence  we  have  in  the  gun  crews  aboard,  and 
we  are  equally  confident  that  most  of  us  would  get  away 
with  a  whole  skin  if  anything  did  happen,  for  all  drills 
have  been  going  systematically  to  date,  and  I  think  the 
men  would  be  as  orderly  in  case  of  an  emergency. 

We  figure  that  by  to-night  we  shall  have  completed 
at  least  half  our  overseas  trip,  and  if  everything  goes  as 
pleasantly  the  remainder  of  the  way,  I  am  sure  it  will 
be  a  memorable  "  outing  "  for  us  all.  It  has  been  no 
pink  tea  affair,  however,  although  the  English  aboard 
persist  in  calling  evening  mess  "  tea."  I  wish  I  could 
now  tell  you  the  name  of  the  vessel  we  are  on,  but  the 
censor  doesn't  want  it  known.  Suffice  it  to  say  it  is  one 
of  the  largest  ships  I  ever  hoped  to  see  and  a  marvel  of 
construction — not  to  omit  mention  of  its  history,  which 
would  fill  a  book  after  the  war. 

Aboard  a  Transport,  Eastern  Atlantic  Ocean,- 
Sunday,  May  12,  1918. 

A  week  ago  we  youngsters  were  back  in  the  States, 
most  of  us  at  a  mobilization  camp — and  here  we  are, 
rolling  around  on  a  rough  sea  to-night,  waves  splashing 
on  the  deck  and  experiencing  our  first  rough  day  of  the 
voyage — and  we  are  more  than  2600  miles  from  the 
shores  we  call  our  own. 

Just  as  a  reminder  that  we  are  in  or  near  the  danger 
zone,  every  man  on  board  ship  to-day  wore  his  life-pre- 
server.   From  the  moment  he  got  out  of  bed  and  went 


72  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

to  breakfast  at  6  o'clock  until  to-night,  when  he  turns  in, 
he  has  been  wearing  the  cumbersome  life-preserver. 
Several  different  types  are  worn,  the  two  most  common 
being  the  jacket  and  the  waist  belt  of  cork.  But  leave  it 
to  the  boys  on  this  boat  to  master  both  types ;  and  as  they 
went  around  this  afternoon,  going  from  one  side  of  the 
ship  to  the  other  and  ably  staving  off  seasickness,  they 
looked  for  all  the  world  like  some  of  Joe  Jefferson's  lit- 
tle men  of  the  Catskills  in  "  Rip  Van  Winkle." 

A  stiff  wind  is  blowing,  making  things  lively  on  all 
open  spaces  of  the  ship.  With  Silvan  Hilliard,  of  Oil 
City,  I  was  standing  on  the  fore  part  of  B  deck  about 
6  o'clock — he  was  reading  some  letters  from  a  pal,  Vin- 
cent Hays,  with  the  Lakeside  Hospital  Unit  in  France. 
We  were  very  much  interested,  and  it  was  then  that  a 
crest  of  one  of  the  few  big  waves  we  have  bumped  gave 
us  a  nice  ducking. 

Three  or  four  days  ago  we  were  complaining  about 
the  heat ;  now  it  is  so  cold  and  windy  that  it  seems  we  are 
following  Peary  to  the  North  Pole,  though  our  direction 
is  changing  every  now  and  then,  and  it  is  a  difficult  prob- 
lem for  rooky  seamen  like  us  to  figure  out  where  this  old 
ship  is.  They  tell  us  we  are  somewhere  off  the  coast  of 
Europe  or  the  British  Isles,  and  we  are  ready  to  believe 
anything. 

It  has  been  several  days  since  we  have  seen  any  mer- 
chant ships  or  vessels  that  might  answer  that  description, 
and,  in  fact,  passing  ships  have  been  such  a  scarce  article 
on  the  trip  that  the  boys  have  become  more  interested  in 


ACROSS  THE  OCEAN  ON  A  PALACE  SHIP         73 

the  antics  of  the  sea-gulls,  the  curving  wake  of  the  ship, 
the  movements  of  the  clouds  and  all  natural  "  scener>\" 
That  the  trip  is  nearing  an  end  and  will  be  concluded 
within  the  next  two  days,  barring  an  unexpected  circum- 
stance, is  a  foregone  conclusion,  and  so  everyone  is  specu- 
lating where  we  will  land. 

Most  of  the  boys  aboard  are  confident  it  will  be  an 
Enghsh  port,  but  then  you  can't  tell  these  days.  One 
thing  sure,  they  will  be  sorrj^  in  a  measure,  to  say  fare- 
well to  this  great  old  palace  ship,  for  after  having  been 
aboard  for  nearly  a  week,  they  have  grown  to  like  her 
as  well  as  the  hundreds  of  the  crew  who  are  doing  their 
part  eveiy  hour  to  send  the  vessel  sailing  through  in 
safety.  Some  day,  when  the  war  is  over,  you'll  be  sur- 
prised to  know  that  we  traveled  on  such  a  stately  craft. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  program  that  was  given  last 
evening  by  the  band,  the  artists  of  the  regiment  and  the 
talent  from  several  other  units  aboard.  The  whole  enter- 
tainment was  for  the  benefit  of  a  certain  seaman's  char- 
ity  and  was  given  in  the  magnificently  furnished  smok- 
ing room  of  the  vessel.  All  officers  aboard  who  were  not 
on  duty  were  present,  and  Colonel  Rickards  presided  at 
the  gathering.  A  program,  printed  aboard  ship,  and 
carrying  out  the  Allied  sentiment  in  its  decorative  fea- 
tures, was  furnished  each  one,  and  we  are  only  hoping 
that  we  will  be  able  to  save  these  programs  as  a  memento 
of  this  never-to-be-forgotten  trip  "  over  there." 

The  affair  was  only  for  the  officers  of  the  units  on  the 
transport  and  for  those  in  command  of  the  ship ;  I  hap- 


74  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

pened  to  get  there  because  the  Colonel  said  he  wanted  a 
record  of  the  proceedings,  and  I  surely  appreciated  his 
kindness.  Never  did  the  band  and  orchestra  sound  better 
than  on  this  occasion.  Back  in  camp  I  thought  they 
established  great  old  records  for  playing,  but  they  have 
accumulated  even  more  enthusiasm  since  they  bade  good- 
bye to  the  States,  and  the  way  they  played  "  The  Star- 
Spangled  Banner,"  just  after  "  God  Save  the  King  " 
and  "  The  Marseillaise,"  last  night,  made  the  hair  on 
your  head  tingle.  It  was  an  impressive  conclusion  to  a 
great  program. 

Such  selections  as  "  Zampa,"  "  Only  Girl,"  "  I  Don't 
Want  to  Get  Well,"  "  Naughty  Marietta,"  "  Missouri 
Waltz,"  and  others — all  of  which  have  become  familiar 
to  those  who  are  lovers  of  the  band's  best  music— were 
sufficient  to  prove  to  the  great  gathering  what  a  band  the 
Oil  Country  outfit  really  has. 

Among  the  interested  persons  in  the  audience  was 
a  naval  officer  on  Admiral  Sims'  staff  and  several  Major- 
Generals.  A  young  fellow,  "  Scotty  "  King,  of  Company 
D,  was  the  hit  of  the  occasion,  with  his  Harry  Lauder 
stuff,  his  Scotch  highland  fling  and  his  "  heather  humor." 
"  Tradin'  Joe  "  was  recited  by  a  Philadelphian  named 
Chambers,  member  of  a  military  police  unit,  who  used 
to  be  an  actor;  then  there  were  several  violin  solos,  a 
number  of  vocal  selections  and  a  three-round  boxing 
bout,  the  entire  program  taking  nearly  two  hours. 

I  could  hardly  beheve  that  just  a  week  ago  I  had 
been  sleeping  in  what  was  formerly  a  warehouse  at  an 


ACROSS  THE  OCEAN  ON  A  PALACE  SHIP  75 

Atlantic  port,  not  knowing  when  or  where  we  were  go- 
ing— and  here  I  was,  sitting  in  the  costly  smoking  room 
of  what  was  once  a  real  princess  among  ocean  ships  and 
which  still  sails  the  seas  with  gi'eat  honors.  Never  did 
I  think,  when  I  read  about  this  great  old  craft,  that  I 
would  be  a  passenger  aboard  her;  one  of  the  hundreds  of 
doughboys  who  would  bunk  in  her  steerage,  who  would 
eat  in  her  former  dining-rooms  and  who  would  walk  her 
decks.  Uncle  Sam  paying  the  whole  bill,  and  we  fellows 
enjoying  the  constantly  changing  ocean  scenery — which 
now,  however,  looks  pretty  much  ahke  to  us.  And  so, 
you  see,  this  old  voyage  has  ah*eady  given  a  good  start  to 
our  Great  Adventure;  but  as  some  one  remarked  the 
other  day,  this  may  be  the  pleasantest  part  of  all — save 
that  of  coming  home  some  future  day — but  meanwhile, 
whatever  our  lot,  we'll  be  the  same  smiling  crowd  we  were 
back  there  in  the  Southland.  I  only  wish  I  could  tell  you 
all,  but  the  story  can  wait. 

There  have  been  a  number  of  informal  entertain- 
ments for  the  enlisted  men  the  past  few  nights.  One  was 
given  Friday  evening,  and  Captain  Sharpe  was  one  of 
the  speakers.  He  is  known  as  the  "  officer  orator  of  the 
regiment,"  and  the  talk  he  gave  before  we  pulled  up 
stakes  in  Camp  Hancock  will  long  be  remembered.  On 
this  occasion  he  was  just  as  forceful.  He  outlined  what 
a  sacred  privilege  it  was  to  fight  on  French  soil  and  to 
bear  our  part  in  fighting  against  the  Hun.  "  You  men 
are  Crusaders,"  he  exclaimed,  "  and  this  is  a  great  heri- 
tage that  has  been  left  to  you." 


76  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Several  mornings  the  regimental  band  has  been  play- 
ing on  the  aft  deck,  such  selections  as  "  Over  There," 
"  We're  Going  Over  "  and  "  Good-bye  Broadway,  Hello 
France  "  being  the  signal  for  an  outburst  of  enthusiasm 
from  the  men.  All  these  little  features  have  helped  to 
keep  the  boys  in  the  best  of  spirits — and  the  best  thing 
of  all,  there  isn't  a  youngster  with  a  downcast  look  on 
the  whole  boat.  They're  the  happiest,  cheeriest  bunch 
you  ever  saw. 

The  clock  is  still  being  changed  forty-five  minutes 
every  day — set  that  far  ahead  all  the  time — so  we  fel- 
lows figure  we  are  losing  that  much  of  our  sleep  every 
night.  Consequently,  there  is  a  great  rush  to  be  in  bed 
early.  And  while  the  fellows  roll  about  a  great  bit,  due 
to  the  course  of  the  ship  and  the  roll  of  the  ocean,  they 
manage  to  get  a  good  sleep.  You  will  be  glad  to  know 
that  I  am  getting  time  to  rest,  and  while  we  are  kept 
busy  throughout  the  day,  I  am  feehng  in  the  best  of 
spirits  and  things  are  just  breaking  right.  The  busiest 
days  are  ahead,  undoubtedly,  and  everyone,  fully  realiz- 
ing that,  is  taking  what  "  bunk  fatigue  "  he  can  at  the 
present  time.  With  us  fellows  there  isn't  much  "  bunk  " 
though,  but  we  make  up  for  it  in  the  sound  sleep  at  night. 

Still  at  Sea, 
Monday,  May  13,  1918. 

I  am  not  numbering  these  letters,  but  when  I  get 
"  over  there,"  into  some  settled  place  where  I  can  write 
to  better  advantage  and  have  a  few  moments  to  myself 


ACROSS  THE  OCEAN  ON  A  PALACE  SHIP         77 

once  in  a  while,  I  will  see  that  thev  are  numbered  accord- 
ing  to  the  system.  This  letter  is  part  of  the  second 
packet  of  ship  letters  I  am  sending  you,  and  T  hope  they 
all  reach  their  destination  in  due  time. 

As  I  told  Uncle  Jim  in  a  brief  note,  "  the  watchdogs 
of  the  sea  "  are  guarding  our  ship  safely  through  the 
danger  zone.  We  have  been  in  the  danger  zone  for  three 
days,  counting  this  one — in  the  ocean  territory  where 
many  another  well-known  ship  has  gone  down. 

They  are  sounding  "  fire  call  "  now  for  the  daily  boat 
practice.  It  surely  is  interesting  to  see  these  fellows  dart 
upstairs  from  three  or  four  decks  below  and  take  their 
places  alongside  the  lifeboats.  There  is  system  to  it  all 
and  no  excitement  whatever,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  we 
are  in  the  danger  zone  and  any  one  of  the  calls  sounded 
might  mean  real  business. 

Everything  points  to  an  early  landing,  and  if  Fritz 
— as  the  English  call  him — doesn't  pop  up  in  some  unex- 
pected place  during  the  late  afternoon  or  the  night,  We 
ought  to  dock  some  time  on  the  morrow.  It  will  be  quite 
a  big  job  unloading,  I  imagine,  but  I  hope  the  task  is 
accomplished,  and  we  get  started  on  our  way  again.  We 
won't  stay  a  very  long  time  wherever  we  land,  and  there 
is  no  telhng  our  exact  destination.  But  in  a  week  or  so 
we  ought  to  be  quite  settled,  temporarily  at  lea^t. 


Naturally  in  such  letters,  written  at  a  time  when  the 
nation  was  at  war,  little  could  be  said  regarding  the 
armament  of  the  ship  or  the  disposition  of  the  convoy 


78  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

of  destroyers.  At  dawn  on  the  morning  of  the  13th  we 
found  four  of  the  faithful  httle  ships  "  on  the  job." 
Camouflaged,  battle-decked  and  pitching  and  tossing 
in  and  between  the  waves,  they  kept  us  interested 
all  day. 

Indicative  of  the  food  we  had  on  board,  I  find  this 
remark  among  a  few  in  my  diary  of  that  date : 

We  are  getting  a  buB  for  breakfast  and  one  for  supper,  and 
they  raise  a  kick  if  one  piece  of  that  bun  is  wasted.  The  English 
are  far  and  away  harder  up  for  food  than  we  are;  and  that  will  be 
one  of  the  lessons  we'll  learn  when  we  get  across.  The  buns  they 
give  us  now  are  very  stale. 

The  Aquitania  entered  the  Irish  Sea  on  the  morning 
of  the  14th,  picked  up  a  pilot,  and  then  zigzagged  its 
way  through  the  thickly  stre-v^ii  mine  field.  The  sea  was 
like  a  mill  pond.  We  arrived  at  Liverpool  shortly  after 
noon,  exactly  seven  days  from  the  start  of  the  trip ;  but, 
owing  to  the  tide,  it  was  nearly  3.30  when  the  great  troop- 
ship docked  and  the  first  soldiers  went  ashore.  The 
great  tower,  resembling  somewhat  that  of  Eiffel  in  Paris, 
interested  us  from  the  moment  we  caught  the  first 
glimpse  of  the  harbor  of  Liverpool,  until  we  passed  it, 
proceeded  up  the  Mersey,  and  slipped  into  our  berth. 

At  3.50  the  Headquarters  Company  disembarked, 
and  then,  headed  by  the  112th  band,  blaring  away  with 
"  The  Wallabies  "  and  other  of  its  well-known  selec- 
tions, proceeded  down  one  of  the  streets  to  the  London 
and  Northwestern  yards.  Other  units  of  the  regiment 
marched  through  the  city  of  Liverpool  itself  and  were 


ACROSS  THE  OCEAN  ON  A  PALACE  SHIP  79 

given  a  great  ovation  as  they  entrained  for  the  Channel 
coast  at  another  railway  station. 

Leaving  at  5.25  that  evening,  we  traveled  until  2.15 
the  next  morning,  when  the  troop  special  of  typical  Eng- 
lish compartment  coaches  came  to  a  halt  at  the  dimly 
hghted  Folkestone  station. 

The  splendid  farming  country  of  the  Midlands, 
through  which  we  traveled  that  memorable  Tuesday 
evening  of  May  14th,  interested  us;  we  hoped  against 
hope  then  that  some  change  of  orders  might  bring  the 
train  to  a  stop  and  we  would  be  informed  that  we  would 
train  in  the  farmland  of  England  rather  than  in  the 
battle  zone  of  France.  Through  the  manufacturing  city 
of  North  Stafford  the  train  sped,  the  townsfolk  waving 
to  the  doughboys  and  extending  a  welcome  similar  to 
the  one  received  on  the  first  day  of  May  as  we  traveled 
toward  Camp  Upton.  At  Rugby  we  got  warm  tea  from 
the  English  Red  Cross. 

Meanwhile,  we  were  busy  devouring  the  first  army 
rations — the  box  which  had  been  handed  to  us  just  be- 
fore we  left  the  ship.  Between  munching  a  sandwich 
and  trying  to  hold  on  to  a  hard-boiled  egg,  we  admired 
the  hedges,  the  woods  and  the  rolling  farmlands,  and 
marveled  that  it  remained  light  until  9.45  in  the  evening; 
the  next  day  we  were  reminded  that  England  and  the 
continent  were  observing  the  daylight-saving  plan  and 
had  been  ever  since  the  war  started.  It  was  11.45  at 
night  that  we  passed  through  a  railroad  junction  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  world's  second  greatest  city,  Loxdon, 


80  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

and  we  glued  our  faces  to  the  windows  in  an  effort  to  see 
something.  Some  dim  blue  lights  along  a  stream  pro- 
vided sufficient  illumination  for  us  to  make  out  that  we 
were  crossing  a  bridge  over  the  Thames  River.  Our 
first  few  hours  in  England  had  created  this  impression: 
A  most  beautiful  and  magnificent  country  in  daytime; 
at  night,  dark,  dreary  and  forsaken,  station  and  street 
lights  very  much  dimmed. 

Then,  at  2.15  the  morning  of  May  15th,  as  the  train 
slowed  to  a  stop  in  the  Southcliffe  station  at  Folkestone, 
we  reached  the  end  of  the  rail  journey.  With  search- 
lights along  the  coast  proving  the  only  illumination,  and 
flashing  queerly  overhead,  we  marched  in  nearly  pitch 
darkness  to  what  formerly  were  well-tenanted  apart- 
ment houses  of  the  Channel  resort.  These  proved  to  be 
our  barracks  for  the  night,  and  while  they  were  not  so 
comfortable  as  those  back  at  Upton,  we  were  glad  to  get 
any  place  to  sleep. 

The  big  Britisher  in  charge  of  the  bedless  lodging 
house  at  the  corner  of  Clifton  and  Sandgate  Streets, 
across  from  Augusta  Gardens,  doled  out  two  blankets 
and  a  ration  of  tea,  steaming  hot.  Twelve  to  a  room, 
with  our  feet  bumping  each  other's,  we  slept  on  the  hard 
floor.    Needless  to  say,  we  were  up  early. 

From  9  until  noon  the  112th  boys  had  the  freedom 
of  Folkestone,  and  were  delighted  beyond  measure  with 
the  trim-looking  little  Channel  city,  with  its  quaint 
streets  and  attractive  shops,  and  its  business-like  aspect 
in  spite  of  the  war.    At  2  that  afternoon,  scarcely  twelve 


ACROSS  THE  OCEAN  ON  A  PALACE  SHIP         81 

hours  since  our  arrival,  we  swung  into  marching  cokimn 
again,  and  with  the  hand  plaj^ing  "  Marseillaise,"  and 
the  swing  of  other  days,  we  headed  up  the  broad  thor- 
oughfare, British  and  Canadians  saluting  the  colors  as 
they  passed  and  admiring  the  Americans,  we  thought. 
At  2.25  the  train  pulled  out  from  the  Southcliffe  station, 
going  by  way  of  Canterbury  (where  the  boys  obtained  a 
splendid  view  of  the  famous  cathedi-al)  ;  we  VN'atched 
with  interest  the  dirigibles  and  aeroplanes  that  now  and 
then  accompanied  the  train  and  performed  light  fan- 
tastics  in  the  air.  Then  just  before  the  long  descent  into 
Dover  the  train  slowed  down  as  we  passed  through  two 
large  "  tank  "  camps,  where  the  caterpillars  were  being 
prepared  for  transport  across  the  Channel. 

Things  came  thick  and  fast  every  step  of  the  way, 
and  we  were  swinging  through  hot  and  dusty  Dover 
streets  to  an  old  warehouse  barracks  standing  at  the  foot 
of  the  cliffs;  another  ration  of  tea  and  cheese,  another 
board  floor,  somewhat  the  worse  for  wear  and  very 
dirty — and  we  were  "  at  home  "  in  Dover,  with  a  vigi- 
lant British  trawler  and  cruiser  squadron  in  the  harbor 
bringing  the  war  closer  to  us  than  we  had  yet  known. 
About  Dover  Castle,  picturesquely  situated  on  the  hill, 
and  over  the  famous  chalk  cliffs,  aeroplanes  circled, 
dipped  and  seemingly  coasted  from  one  cloud  to  anotlier 
as  a  warm  May  sun  set  over  the  city;  from  the  roof  of  a 
tram-car  we  gazed  this  way  and  that,  trying  to  take  in 
a  hundred  sights  at  once,  and  all  the  time  realizing  we 


82  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

were  so  close  to  the  war  zone  that  we  couldn't  appreciate 
Dover  until  days  afterward. 

« 

A  month  later  we  would  have  given  most  anything  to 
glimpse  either  Folkestone  or  Dover  again. 

At  2  on  the  afternoon  of  JNIay  16tli  we  boarded 
the  little  craft  Onward  and  were  off  for  France. 
Escorted  by  fine  little  British  destroyers  and  convoyed 
by  several  battle  planes,  we  landed  safely  and  without 
untoward  event  near  the  Gare  du  Nord  in  Calais. 

In  France  at  last ! 

From  the  Southland  of  the  old  United  States  to  the 
country  of  broken  buildings  and  shrieking  shrapnel 
within  sixteen  days!  The  Great  Adventure  surely  had 
started  in  earnest  for  us  now. 


CHAPTER  VII 

TRAINING  DAYS  WITH  TOMMY  ATKINS 

The  Calais  Rest  Camp  and  Training  Days  in  the 
Seninghem-Bayenghem  Area — First  Great  Hike 
in  France,  Lasting  Three  Days — From  Wavrans  to 
Paris  in  French  Box  Cars — March  Into  Tremblay. 

Curiously  enough,  the  first  soldiers  the  Americans 
and  their  British  comrades  aboard  the  Onxcard  saw, 
as  the  little  craft  drew  into  the  Nord  pier,  were  Heinies 
at  work  along  the  docks.  A  shout  went  up  from  the 
112th  lads,  but  it  was  a  shout  and  nothing  more.  Fritzie 
looked  on  in  blank  amazement,  and  the  Yanks  did 
the  same. 

A  hard  hike  of  two  or  tliree  miles  in  a  broiling  sun 
brought  us  to  the  so-called  rest  camp,  where  we  were 
jammed  in,  fifteen  men  to  a  small  circular  tent — con- 
ditions and  congestion  never  before  equaled.  Exchang- 
ing rifles  for  the  British  type,  equipping  of  men  with 
gas  masks  and  other  details  of  outfitting  us  for  the  line, 
not  to  speak  of  depriving  us  of  our  barracks  bags  and 
extra  equipment  and  articles  of  comfort  we  had  brought 
along,  occupied  the  attention  of  the  officers  and  men 
during  Friday  and  Saturday,  May  17th  and  18th. 

And  then,  came  the  first  air  raid. 

It  took  place  at  10.35  the  night  of  the  18th.  It 
startled  all.  and  officers  quickly  passed  the  w^ord  for 
men  to  hurry  to  their  tents — arranged  on  a  semi-dugout 

88 


84  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

principle,  with  the  floor  two  to  three  feet  below  the  level 
of  the  ground  outside.  The  flash  of  shells,  the  bursting 
shrapnel  and  the  pounding  of  the  Archies  startled  us; 
it  was  the  first  close  firing  we  had  heard ;  it  indicated  to 
us  there  was  "  action  "  and  plenty  of  it. 

Long  hikes  in  the  hot  sun  for  extra  equipment  of  the 
British  type  told  on  the  boys,  and  so  when  the  long 
heart-breaking  hike  to  the  Fontinette  station,  at  the 
other  end  of  Calais,  began  Sunday  morning.  May  19th, 
the  youngsters  had  a  rough  time  of  it.  Of  all  the  hikes 
that  were  made  in  France,  this  one  to  the  point  of  en- 
training for  Lumbres  drew  a  heavier  toll  in  well-directed 
energy  than  all  the  rest.  Sandwiches  and  tea  at  the 
canteen  were  our  meals  for  the  day — and  we  started  in 
French  box  or  cattle  cars  for  the  Lumbres  district,  some 
30  miles  away  and  a  short  distance  from  St.  Omer. 

Through  St.  Omer  and  other  towns  and  along  the 
canal  the  train  traveled,  until  it  reached  Lumbres  early 
in  the  afternoon.  Then  it  was  a  long  hike  and  a  stiff  one 
to  Bayenghem,  Seninghem  and  other  little  Pas-de- 
Calais  farming  villages  where  we  were  to  be  billeted  in 
barns,  and  cowsheds,  and  in  pup -tents  for  the  next  three 
weeks.  We  saw  Fritzie  aeroplanes  at  St.  Omer,  and  the 
Archies  were  pounding  at  them  as  our  train  went 
through,  but  we  seemed  quite  out  of  the  war  zone  when 
we  reached  our  destination  that  beautiful  Sunday  eve- 
ning, and  found  that  our  home  was  to  be  at  Seninghem — 
and  there  the  diary  saj^s,  under  date  of  Sunday, 
May  19th; 


TRAINING  DAYS  WITH  TOMMY  ATKINS  85 

Now  Calais  is  gone.  We  are  on  the  first  lap  of  our  way  to  the 
front,  and  some  day  we  will  be  there,  probably  up  around  Bailleul 
[but  we  never  got  to  the  British  front,  as  circumstances  later  proved]. 
But  here,  in  this  French  village,  quietude  in  itself,  we  can  dream  of 
other  days  and  hope  that  the  One  whose  protecting  care  has  guided 
ufl  thus  far  will  be  with  us  to  the  end — no  matter  where  the  days  to 
come  may  carry  us,  or  tlirough  what  perils. 

The  first  breakfast  at  the  new  camp  consisted  of 
warm  corn-bill,  one  piece  of  hardtack  and  two  cups  of 
tea.  Then  cheese  and  British  jam  were  introduced,  and 
for  three  weeks  we  lived  on  Tommies'  rations.  Regi- 
mental Headquarters  w^as  at  Seninghem — with  a  spa- 
cious courtyard  filled  with  boxes,  baggage  and  an  old 
farm  wagon,  not  to  omit  mention  of  the  ever-present 
manure  pile  that  took  the  place  of  an  American  flower- 
bed.   A  kitchen  table  was  the  best  desk  in  the  office. 

By  Wednesday,  May  2 2d,  the  training  program  was 
in  full  swing ;  the  boys  wxre  drilling  six  hours  a  day  out 
near  the  aeroplane  hangars,  on  the  summit  of  a  hill  three 
to  four  miles  away,  and  it  was  no  time  until  the  boys  of 
the  old  8th  and  16th  w^ere  showing  the  British  Tommies 
that  they  knew  the  soldier  game  well,  and  were  very 
proficient  in  bayonet  training,  bombing  and  machine 
gun  operation.  Many  112th  boys  opened  the  eyes  of  the 
British  with  their  bayonet  efficiency — and  cliief  among 
these  was  the  late  Sergeant  John  Connell,  of  Company 
F,  who  attained  the  highest  record  in  that  branch. 

In  the  evening,  the  boys  gathered  about  the  httle 
church  at  Seninghem  to  listen  to  the  band  concert  by  the 
regimental   band;   that   was   always   a   pleasant  time. 


86  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Others  visited  the  little  estaminets  occasionally,  while 
still  others  grew  fond  of  the  milk  and  egg  diet,  and  there 
was  no  trouble  at  all  in  getting  a  meal  of  scrambled  eggs, 
bread  and  of  milk  freshly  drawn.  And  this  menu  cost 
only  a  franc! 

The  first  church  services  after  arriving  in  France 
were  conducted  in  a  pretty  little  grove  at  Seninghem 
by  Chaplain  Hall  at  10  o'clock  the  morning  of  May 
26th.  Such  selections  as  "  Long,  Long  Trail  "  and 
favorite  hymns  were  sung  as  never  before. 

That  evening  Americans  belonging  to  the  45th  In- 
fantry passed  through  the  village ;  they  had  seen  service 
in  the  line  since  November,  and  expressed  confidence  to 
our  boys  in  an  early  ending  of  the  war. 

Then  that  night  many  of  us  went  up  on  the  hilltop 
to  see  the  flares  along  the  battle-line  and  the  flashes  of 
guns  far  oft' — some  25  miles  away — to  the  east  of  us. 
Many  of  the  boys  cHmbed  the  hiU  night  after  night,  and 
one  evening  the  spectators  were  rewarded — there  was 
an  air  raid  on  St.  Omer  at  11  p.m.,  and  the  Archies  and 
searchlights  soon  got  after  the  Huns. 

Memorial  Day  came  and  went  as  a  holiday — Old 
Glory  was  flung  to  the  breeze  from  the  flagpole  in  front 
of  BiUet  14,  the  Colonel's  quarters.  Over  at  Nielles, 
five  miles  over  the  hill.  General  Pershing,  traveling  in 
a  fine-looking  limousine,  was  paying  a  visit  to  the  Com- 
manding General  and  staff  of  the  28th  Division.  He 
was  expected  to  pass  through  the  112th  area,  but  for 
some  reason,  although  the  boys  were  prepared  for  a  once- 


TRAINING  DAYS  WITH  TOMMY  ATKINS  87 

over   by  the    Commander-in-Chief,   he   took   a   differ- 
ent route. 

Better  than  any  other  description,  the  following  let- 
ter, written  at  Seninghem  on  May  30,  1918,  typifies  the 
spirit  of  the  average  man  in  the  ranks  that  Memorial 
Day: 

This  is  Memorial  Day,  truly  in  all  that  it  means.  It  is  a  holiday 
in  so  far  as  it  can  be  made  for  us  fellows,  but  you  know  we  keep  at 
the  game  just  as  much  as  ever.  How  well  I  remember  last  Memorial 
Day,  when  I  saw  the  home-town  company,  then  fast  growing  to  its 
ne^v  strength,  participate  in  the  parade  and  then  in  the  exercises  in 
the  City  Park.  How  far  in  the  distance  that  now  seems — how  far 
we  feel  from  the  land  we  love,  and  yet  there  is  a  certain  deepeir 
satisfaction  in  being  able  to  be  here;  we  appreciate  Memorial  Day 
the  more.  A  year  from  now  its  significance  to  us  may  have  increased 
threefold,  but  no  matter — here  we  are  in  France,  patiently,  willingly 
and  courageously  doing  our  bit. 

As  the  days  roll  by,  then  the  weeks,  perhaps  the  months,  we  shall 
think  of  this  day,  in  all  its  quietude  and  beauty  (only  the  booming 
guns  far  away  and  the  aeroplanes  overhead  reminding  us  of  the 
war)  as  a  certain  milestone  bringing  to  us  the  significance  of  tl]e 
work  upon  which  we  are  entering.  We  are  happj'  because  the  future 
is  a  closed  book ;  we  are  contented  and  hopeful,  too,  that  in  doing  our 
bit  there  will  be  some  who  may  return  to  the  dear  old  land. 

How  odd  it  all  seems — this  Memorial  Day !  Perhaps  it  is  the 
calm  before  the  storm;  mayhap  it  is  only  a  passing  day;  but  I  believe 
that  it  means  a  great  deal  to  everyone  of  us  now,  more  than  it  ever 
did  before.  I  can  see  the  old  soldiers  marching  do^vn  the  main 
street  to  the  monument;  there  are  the  Spanish- American  War  Vet- 
erans and  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  perhaps  the  Red  Cross — but  the  line 
where  the  boys  of  the  old  organization  marched  is  vacant  for  a  little 
while.     I  suppose  the  new  reserve  militia  has  taken  its  place. 

But  some  day  when  the  sun  is  shining  as  brightly  as  it  is  to-day, 
when  all  the  world  seems  supremely  beautiful,  when  birds  are  sing- 


88  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

ing,  just  as  they  are  in  the  trees  that  line  these  roads,  some  of  us 
will  be  coming  home — smiling,  happy  and  carefree. 
WTiat  a  day !     That  will  be  our  Memorial  Day ! 

Could  we  have  seen  ahead  a  whole  year,  many  of  us 
would  have  been  satisfied;  but  many,  who  now  sleep  in 
the  shell-torn  territory  of  the  battle-front  in  France, 
would  not  have  had  the  courage,  dauntless  as  it  then  was, 
to  continue  the  great  fight.  It  was  just  as  well  that  we 
did  not  know,  and  could  not  learn,  what  to-morrow  held 
for  us.  The  army  game  called  for  a  day  at  a  time,  and 
that  played  well. 

As  the  days  went  by,  the  training  program  pro- 
gressed ;  the  boys  became  friends  of  the  Tommies,  made 
inquiries  as  to  how  it  felt  to  be  up  the  line.  One  night 
when  I  went  to  Lumbres  for  a  visit  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
for  stationery,  soap  and  some  chocolate,  I  caught  up  with 
a  little  fellow  who  had  been  in  the  game  for  three  years. 

"  I  have  been  over  the  top  six  times,"  he  said,  "  and 
all  along  the  front  from  St.  Quentin  to  Dickebusch, 
and  I  have  never  been  wounded." 

I  thought  that  a  remarkable  record ;  in  later  days  our 
boys  went  over  the  top  in  the  Argonne  that  many  times 
in  one  day — sixteen  times  in  three  days,  I  believe,  was 
the  record  in  the  push  in  which  our  regiment  participated. 

We  saw  Australians,  Canadians,  Scotch  and  typical 
English  soldiers ;  we  grew  somewhat  accustomed  to  their 
ways  and  manners.  We  even  read  their  newspapers, 
and  while  they  brought  us  anything  but  cheering  news 
during  the  days  that  the  Germans  were  forging  ahead, 


TRAmiNG  DAYS  WITH  TOMMY  ATKINS  89 

yet  they  were  the  first  to  tell  us  that  the  Americans  had 
taken  the  town  of  Cantigny  and  had  made  a  name  for 
themselves  in  the  history  of  the  war. 

The  first  overseas  mail  arrived  on  June  1st.  Never 
will  I  forget  the  day;  it  was  one  of  the  happiest  in 
France.  Practically  every  man  in  the  whole  regiment 
got  a  letter;  most  of  the  mail  had  been  sent  on  May  8th, 
about  the  time  we  were  starting  overseas.  The  keenest 
delight  was  evident,  naturally. 

On  June  4th  word  came  that  our  short  British  rifles 
were  to  be  turned  in,  and  we  were  to  get  our  Eddy  stones 
back  again — all  this  after  we  had  hiked  eight  miles  one 
da}^  to  the  Lumbres  rifle  range  to  fire  the  British  type. 
June  5th  saw  some  of  our  own  boys  from  Camp  Upton 
arriving  at  Lumbres  and  being  sent  to  their  respective 
companies.  These  were  the  ones  left  behind  because  of 
supposedly  flat  feet  or  other  slight  defects.  By  Thurs- 
day, June  7th,  the  rumor  factory  began  working  over- 
time, and  we  heard  that  a  long  hike  was  to  be  on  the 
program  soon. 

The  weather  had  been  splendid  with  the  exception  of 
one  or  two  days  until  this  time,  and  the  boys  looked  for- 
ward to  the  hike  with  something  of  the  spirit  of  adven- 
ture; little  did  we  know  that  it  was  to  be  a  test  of  our 
endurance.  Saturday,  June  8th,  as  by  prearranged 
schedule,  we  turned  in  our  Enfield  rifles  and  received 
our  Eddystone  Model  in  exchange,  as  well  as  American 
ammunition;  and  then  we  thought,  in  view  of  the  war 
news,  we  were  to  take  over  some  American  sector  and 


90  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

the  hike  might  be  near  to  Amiens,  some  distance  to  the 
south.  In  fact,  we  dreamed  of  having  a  chance  to  march 
through  Cantigny. 

The  7th  and  8th  became  days  of  preparation  for  the 
hike,  and  the  diary  says : 

The  early  part  of  the  week  will  see  us  tramping  and  the  over- 
coats will  go  in  the  wagon  or  lorry  that  accompanies  the  train,  and 
that  will  help  to  a  large  extent.  We  are  to  experience  carrying 
everything  we  own  on  our  back  outside  of  that. 

And  so  the  stage  was  set  for  the  good-bye  from  the 
British  training  sector,  farewell  to  the  hillsides  and  farm- 
lands of  the  Lumbres  area  and  only  a  temporary  depart- 
ure, as  facts  later  proved,  from  billets  that  were  stables 
and  cowsheds.  But  Seninghem,  Bayenghem,  Waterdal 
and  the  other  towns  had  never  been  hit  by  the  war ;  they 
were  intact.  Some  weeks  were  to  intervene  before  we 
would  get  into  what  might  be  the  zone  of  operations, 
but  as  we  prepared  for  the  much-talked-of  three-day 
hike  southward  we  did  not  know  all  these  things. 

Most  of  all  we  did  not  then  know  that  we  were  to 
have  a  share  in  writing  history  at  Chateau-Thierry,  then 
breaking  into  headlines  in  the  oddly  printed  British 
newspapers,  which  told  of  the  stemming  of  the  German 
tide  at  the  Marne  city. 

It  was  a  typical  summer  day  that  memorable  Sun- 
day of  June  9th,  with  every  man  in  the  regiment  starting 
on  his  first  long  tramp  through  France — a  march  that 
was  to  be  duplicated  months  afterward  under  more  try- 
ing conditions.    The  sun  was  blistering  hot,  the  hillsides 


TRAINING  DAYS  WITH  TOMMY  ATKINS  91 

and  farms  that  had  become  famihar  to  us  in  our  three 
weeks'  stay  among  the  British  troops  in  the  Pas-de- 
Calais  district  never  looked  prettier.  But  before  we 
fellows  got  under  way,  between  10  and  11  o'clock,  on  the 
first  lap  of  what  was  to  be  a  trying  three-day  hike,  per- 
spiration was  streaming  down  our  faces  and  there  was 
a  rivulet  going  down  each  man's  back. 

Extra  blankets  and  overcoats  were  to  be  transported 
by  wagons,  but  many  of  the  boys  had  to  carry  this  addi- 
tional heavy  equipment  two  or  three  miles  before  reach- 
ing the  crossroads  near  Waterdal.  The  Headquarters 
Company,  Supply,  2d  Battalion  and  Regimental  Head- 
quarters boys  left  Seninghem  at  9.50,  wound  slowly  up 
the  hill  and  made  the  first  halt  at  Waterdal.  There  the 
1st  Battalion  fell  in  fine  at  10.50.  Meanwhile,  the  3d 
Battalion  was  on  the  hike  from  Bayenghem,  leaving 
there  at  10.15.  The  Machine  Gun  Company  was  on  the 
march  from  Le  Wast,  20  miles  away. 

In  the  opinion  of  the  boys  who  tramped  along,  car- 
rying the  regulation  pack,  minus  one  pair  of  shoes,  over- 
coat and  one  blanket,  the  first  day  sm*passed  anything 
in  border  history.  Southward,  over  rolling  farmlands, 
up  hills  and  down,  now  in  the  face  of  a  hot  sun  and  again 
swept  by  a  cooling  breeze  as  a  high  hill  was  reached,  the 
line  of  soldiers  wound  its  way.  A  distance  of  600  yards 
separated  each  unit. 

The  route  was  southward  through  Xielles  and  thence 
southeast  through  Fauquemberges,  passed  by  the  2d 
Battalion  shortly  after  3  in  the  afternoon.    Twelve  men 


92  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

of  the  1st  Battalion  had  to  fall  out  and  one  rejoined  his 
company;  the  average  for  the  other  units  was  about 
the  same. 

Trampmg  twelve  miles  in  a  hot  sun,  with  heavy  pack, 
proved  more  than  an  experience,  and  while  the  first  day 
of  the  hike  was  not  so  hard  as  others  that  were  to  come, 
yet  it  told  to  some  extent  on  the  boys'  energy.  That 
night  1st  Battalion  was  billeted  in  barns  at  Coyecque; 
the  2d  Battahon,  Supply  and  Headquarters  companies 
at  Audincthun,  and  the  3d  Battalion  at  Rechnghem  and 
Lillette — names  we  should  long  since  have  forgotten 
were  it  not  for  the  official  record. 

Ten  to  14  miles  was  the  distance  covered  by  the  112th 
Regiment  on  the  second  day,  Monday.  June  10th,  and 
an  early  start,  between  8  and  9  in  the  morning,  found  the 
units  at  their  destination  by  3  in  the  afternoon.  The  1st 
Battalion  was  billeted  in  more  barns  at  Ambricourt  and 
Crepy,  the  2d  Battalion  at  Monch  and  Teneur,  and  the 
8d  Battalion  at  historic  Agincourt— with  other  units  of 
the  regiment  sandwiched  in  the  same  district.  The  3d 
Battahon,  which  kept  on  hanging  up  a  record  for  hiking 
farther  than  the  other  units,  went  fourteen  miles,  making 
29  miles  in  two  days.  Meantime,  the  Machine  Gun 
Company,  which  had  been  in  training  at  Le  Wast,  was 
covering  16  to  17  miles  a  day  in  an  effort  to  reach  our 
units.  More  men  fell  out  on  the  second  day  of  the  hike; 
it  was  a  rough  day,  as  we  boys  looked  at  it — but  a  hght 
rain,  cooling  breeze  and  occasional  rests  were  the  saving 
elements  of  the  trip. 


TRAINING  DAYS  WITH  TOMMY  ATKINS  93 

That  evening,  though  I  felt  tired,  I  walked  three 
miles  to  Crepy  to  get  a  first-class  meal  at  the  Supply 
Company  and,  incidentally,  some  official  information — 
a  jaunt  out  through  rolling  farmlands  that  reminded 
me  much  of  the  land  back  home. 

Wavrans  was  the  destination  for  every  one  of  the 
units  of  the  outfit  on  June  11th,  the  third  and  last  day 
of  the  march,  and  from  noon  until  5  in  the  evening  the 
doughboys  trudged  in,  laboring  under  packs  long  since 
grown  heavy.  Color  Sergeants  John  Kahle  and  Miles 
Shoup  were  still  at  the  head  of  the  line  with  the  colors, 
and  Swartz  and  I  were  still  able  to  keep  step  with  them 
as  the  color  guard. 

Some  of  the  boys,  arriving  before  our  column  got  in, 
hurried  over  to  St.  Pol,  then  under  shellfire,  to  get  candy, 
chocolate  and  fruit.  It  was  the  first  time,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  air  raid  on  Calais,  that  the  boys  had  seen 
shrapnel  fij^  It  was  at  Wavrans  that  a  special  or^er 
came  down,  sending  Captain  Sutherland  to  the  Army 
General  Staff  College — and  so  we  lost  the  first  officer 
of  the  regiment  through  special  detail  since  arriving  in 
France.  Mail  arrived  that  day — and,  coming  at  the  end 
of  a  long  hike  that  had  played  some  of  the  fellows  out,  it 
was  more  than  welcome. 

Many  doughboys   doffed  their  dusty  clotlies   and 

plunged  into  the  cool  waters  of  a  stream  that  ran  through 

the  woods  near  the  town.    And  among  them  was  Ser- 
geant Phil  Meredith,  of  Harrisburg,  as  hardy  as  any 


94  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

youngster  on  the  hike,  and  thoroughly  at  home  in  the 
cool  waters  of  the  woodland  stream. 

Wavrans,  being  the  railhead  in  that  area,  was  natu- 
rally the  scene  of  much  railroad  traffic — American  loco- 
motives and  American  hospital  coaches  proved  like  old 
friends,  though  they  were  the  first  we  had  seen  in  France. 
Twice  a  day,  long  trains  of  tanks,  bound  for  the  British 
front,  went  through,  and  there  was  always  a  score  or 
more  doughboys  on  hand  to  see  them  pass. 

At  7  on  the  evening  of  June  12th  the  regiment  began 
entraining  for  "  somewhere  else  "  in  France;  not  even 
the  officers  then  knew  that  the  112th  was  destined  to  play 
the  role  of  guarding  Paris  from  the  Hun,  should  he  try 
to  break  through  at  Chateau-Thierry.  The  12th  was  a 
day  of  not  a  little  activity.  Money  to  pay  the  boys  for 
April  arrived,  Capt.  Core  going  by  motorcycle  in  the 
middle  of  the  night  to  get  the  French  coin  from  Division 
Headquarters — but  payday  did  not  arrive,  it  being  de- 
cided that  the  wiser  policy  was  to  hold  off  until  the  de- 
training took  place  at  the  mysterious  destination. 

The  112th  Band  played  all  its  favorites  at  the  Wav- 
rans station,  from  6.30  until  after  7,  and  then  the  fel- 
lows tumbled  into  the  box  cars  and  made  themselves 
comfortable — but  comfortable  is  not  a  word  to  be  used 
in  connection  with  board  seats  of  the  French  box  car. 
The  Regimental  Headquarters  boys  shared  their  car 
with  the  fellows  from  the  Headquarters  of  the  56th 
Brigade.  For  twenty-four  hours  the  regiment  was  en- 
gaged in  entraining,  but  at  9  the  night  of  the  12th  the 


TRAINING  DAYS  WITH  TOMMY  ATKINS  95 

first  section  pulled  out.  Tanks  were  sighted  in  a  big 
field  near  Anvin — 50  or  60  of  them — being  repaired  and 
overhauled.  Then  darkness  and  a  cold  night  came,  and 
we  flopped  on  the  floor  and  the  benches,  enduring  bumps 
and  all. 

The  train  speeding  southward  to  "  somewhere  "  and 
the  spirit  of  adventure  and  uncertainty  made  it  possible 
for  us  to  forget,  in  some  measure,  the  failure  to  get  even 
iron  rations.  Briefly,  it  was  a  rough-and-tumble  night 
on  "  concrete  "  benches  and  substantial  but  hard  floors, 
the  word  concrete  being  used  in  this  connection  merely 
as  a  descriptive  term.  Fellows  who  escaped  seasickness 
on  the  Aquitania  found  they  were  up  against  sleeping 
conditions  sufficiently  discomforting  to  produce  any 
variety  of  mal  de  mer — so  it  was  with  no  great  effort 
that  we  arose>  stumbled  about,  flopped  our  arms  and 
looked  out  upon  a  strange  section  of  France  at  5  the 
next  morning.    We  were  crossing  the  Somme. 

The  schedule  for  that  memorable  June  13th,  as  a  pen- 
ciled record  shows,  was  something  like  this  for  the  first 
section:  6.50  a.m.,  Incheville;  7.10,  Longray;  7.28, 
Blangj";  7.37,  Nesle,  with  German  prisoners  at  work  in 
the  railroad  yards;  8.55,  Aumale,  a  fairly  large  city, 
9.40,  Abancourt;  1  p.m.,  Serqueux,  stopped  here  for  in- 
structions; 2.30  P.M.,  Chars,  with  a  long  stop  and  a 
chance  to  get  some  rmn-soaked  coffee;  4.20,  arrival  at 
Pontoise,  the  largest  place  we  have  yet  seen. 

It  was  at  Pontoise  that  we  saw  old  men  and  women, 
refugees  from  Beauvais,  huddled  in  Red  Cross  box  cars. 


9«  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

fleeing  before  the  Hun  advance.  Then,  a  few  minutes 
later,  after  the  train  started,  we  crossed  the  Marne  River. 
A  stop  was  made  a  few  miles  farther  on ;  httle  girls  came 
rmining  up  the  bank,  bringing  the  boys  flowers  and 
strawberries — and  then  the  doughboys  demonstrated 
their  generosity  by  throwing  coins  to  willing  hands. 

At  5.38  we  were  passing  through  the  railroad  yards 
near  the  Seine.  We  had  a  splendid  view  of  Paris,  some 
four  miles  away — Eiffel  Tower,  the  Arc  de  Triomphe 
and  the  Trocadero.  From  that  time  until  6.30  we  trav- 
eled along  the  Seine,  with  Paris  in  view  nearly  all  the 
time,  except  when  the  box  cars  on  other  tracks  blotted 
out  the  view.  We  saw  a  Marine  hospital  train  speeding 
for  the  big  city,  and  as  it  stopped  for  a  moment,  some 
wounded  boys  from  Belleau  Wood  called  to  us :  "  We've 
got  'em  on  the  run,  boys ;  go  up  and  give  'em  hell."  And 
our  fellows  answered:  "  We'll  do  that  all  right.  We're 
going  there  now  I  " 

At  7.30  we  passed  through  Noisy-le-Sec,  and  at 
8.03  we  sped  past  Bondy.  All  along  the  way  the  French 
residents  were  cheering  and  waving  to  us — it  was  the 
Augusta-New  York  trip  all  over  again  so  far  as  the 
cordial  reception  was  concerned.  It  was  still  light  at 
9.30,  when  we  pulled  into  Vairres,  and  there  we  de- 
trained, bivouacking  for  the  night  in  a  field  near  the 
station. 

The  next  day,  the  14th,  dawned  cloudy.  We  were 
up  at  6,  and  rather  than  wait  for  an  uncertain  breakfast, 
the  boys,  many  of  them,  made  a  rush  for  neighboring 


TRAINING  DAYS  WITH  TOMMY  ATKINS  97 

stores  in  Vairres.  Blanton,  Dean  and  I  had  an  egg 
omelet,  bread  and  coffee  at  an  estaminet  for  seven  francs. 
At  8.25  we  were  on  the  march,  with  the  regimental 
band  in  the  lead.  We  passed  through  the  winding 
streets  of  JNIontfermeil  at  10.15,  and  appreciative  French 
folk  threw  flowers  to  the  boys,  who  whistled  "'  The  Mar- 
seillaise "  and  "  Long,  Long  Trail  "  in  return.  The 
march  continued — through  Livry  at  11.15  and  over  the 
canal  at  Se\Tan  at  11.55,  and  soon  after  we  stopped  for 
an  hour  and  a  half  on  a  picturesque  French  road  for 
mess.  Eiffel  Tower  was  still  in  sight,  and  a  signpost 
told  us  we  were  then  but  11  kilos  from  Paris.  At  Ville- 
pinte  the  wagon  train  halted  and  we  got  warm  tea;  this 
was  at  2.10,  and  by  2.55  we  were  in  Tremblay. 

Headquarters  was  established  in  a  chateau  said  to 
have  been  occupied  by  the  Germans  in  September,  1914 
— whether  that  was  true  I  do  not  know.  That  night  the 
band  gave  a  concert  in  the  square.  John  Surra  sang 
"  The  Sunshine  of  Your  Smile,"  and  when  the  concert 
concluded  with  "  Marseillaise  "  and  our  national  anthem 
— well,  we  felt  pretty  "  solid,"  to  use  a  slang  expression, 
with  the  inhabitants.  Many  of  the  boys  lost  no  time  in 
trying  to  parlez  vous  with  attractive  French  girls.  Hand- 
books, brought  overseas,  came  into  play;  smiles  often 
took  the  place  of  words  not  understood. 

That  night,  shortly  after  12,  nearly  everyone  was 
awakened  by  "  fireworks  "  somewhere  in  the  air — the 
German  aeroplanes  were  again  raiding  Paris,  and  what 


98  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

we  heard  was  not  only  the  bombs,  but  the  Archies  as 
well. 

For  the  first  few  days  all  units  were  engaged  in 
cleaning  up  their  billets  and  putting  American  house- 
cleaning  methods  into  practice ;  the  change  was  certainly 
noticeable  in  many  instances,  especially  around  some  of 
the  French  stables.  But,  for  the  most  part,  our  billets 
were  comparatively  fine,  as  splendid  as  any  we  encoun- 
tered on  the  three-day  hike,  that's  certain. 

Though  we  were  informed  shortly  after  our  arrival 
that  the  purpose  of  the  28th  Division  was  to  guard  Paris 
in  case  of  a  break-through  by  the  Germans,  there  was 
no  inkling  until  many  days  afterward  that  when  the 
112th  Infantry  entrained  at  Wavrans  it  was  bound  for 
the  Toul  front.  General  Pershing's  Memorial  Day  visit 
to  Nielles  in  the  Lumbres  British  training  area  may  have 
possessed  great  significance  after  all,  relative  to  the 
state  of  preparedness  in  which  he  found  the  Keystone 
imits. 

At  any  rate,  here  was  Tremblay,  and  over  there,  a 
bare  11  miles  away,  was  Paris — Paris,  with  all  its  great 
buildings,  historic,  appealing,  and  yet,  withal,  so  far 
away  from  us  all.  Efforts  of  a  few  doughboys  to  get 
even  as  far  as  the  outskirts  of  the  city  resulted  in  their 
being  unceremoniously  picked  up  by  the  mihtary  police. 
It  remained  until  months  afterward  for  the  Paris  gate- 
way to  open  wide  to  the  American  soldiers — and  then  the 
war  had  become  part  of  history. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

UP  THE  LINE  INDEPENDENCE  DAY 

June  Days  in  Tremblay  and  Bussi^res — First 
Review  in  France — March  to  Louvres,  20  Miles 
North  of  Paris — Long  Trip  on  Bicycles  and  Trucks 
to  LaTretoire — Bivouac  in  Grande  Foret,  July  4th. 

Like  every  other  French  to^vn,  Tremblay  had  its 
great  old  church,  unpretentious  on  the  exterior  but  mag- 
nificently decorated  within.  The  people  seemed  more 
well-to-do  and  much  more  noticeably  progressive  than 
those  of  the  farming  area  we  had  left  behind  only  a  few 
days  before.  Probably  the  proximity  to  Paris  ac- 
counted for  that. 

There  were  a  number  of  small  stores,  there  were 
cafes  and  estaminets;  and  the  barns  in  which  the  men 
were  billeted  were  of  substantial  construction,  clean  and 
comfortable  for  the  most  part.  Nowhere  in  the  barn- 
billet  area  of  France  did  the  men  have  better  quarters 
than  right  here. 

Our  first  pay  in  France,  coming  on  June  14th  and 
15th,  helped  make  us  acquainted  with  French  stores  and 
French  customs.  Foodstuffs  were  in  demand.  One  lit- 
tle store  near  the  square  started  selhng  cheese  at  a  franc 
and  a  half  a  box;  the  supply  was  soon  exhausted,  and 
the  next  day  a  new  supply  arrived,  with  the  price  boosted 
to  two  francs.  Even  that  didn't  last  long,  and  when 
the  price  was  advanced  to  three  francs  the  following  day, 

99 


100  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

with  a  new  shipment  hurriedly  brought  in  from  Paris, 
a  guard  was  placed  over  the  store,  and  the  get-rich-quick 
madame  lost  some  soldier  trade  for  a  few  days. 

Estaminets  that  attempted  to  do  a  flourishing  busi- 
ness were  treated  in  like  fashion.  Sunday,  therefore, 
was  a  quiet  day.  It  was  an  eventful  one,  too,  for  that 
evening  a  big  Y.  M.  C.  A.  truck,  dust-covered  and  piled 
high  with  boxes,  pulled  into  the  main  square.  It  came 
from  Paris.  French  chocolate,  heaucowp  cigarettes, 
chewing  gum,  cakes,  toothpaste  and  shaving  supplies, 
not  to  omit  mention  of  several  big  boxes  of  stationery 
and  envelopes  that  rapidly  vanished,  were  included  in 
the  stock.  Payday  had  come  just  in  time,  and  each 
doughboy  bought  to  the  limit,  and  chafed  a  little  that 
two  cakes  of  chocolate  were  all  that  he  was  able  to  obtain. 
But  at  that,  each  man  was  hberally  supplied,  and  quietly 
congratulated  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  on  keeping  in  touch 
with  the  American  troops.  It  was  the  first  time  that 
we  had  been  served  by  the  American  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the 
canteens  in  the  British  area  being  British  operated. 

June  17th  was  the  occasion  of  the  first  regimental 
parade  that  the  112th  held  in  France.  This  took  place 
on  the  Tremblay-Villepinte  road,  in  a  hay  field  not  far 
out  of  town.  French  officers  who  witnessed  it  were  warm 
in  their  compliments  to  Colonel  Rickards. 

That  same  day  13  French  cooks  of  the  156th  In- 
fantry were  assigned  to  our  regiment,  and  then  we  knew 
our  training  with  the  French  was  to  begin  in  earnest. 
The  following  day  our  training  program  was  in  force, 


UP  THE  LINE  INDEPENDENCE  DAY  101 

and  the  boys  were  hard  at  work ;  it  was  somewhat  difficult 
getting  used  to  French  instructors,  but,  as  indicated  be- 
fore, the  112th  was  well  versed  in  the  bayonet,  machine 
gun  and  bombing  game,  so  it  needed  few  instructions 
along  that  line. 

Personally,  I  shall  always  remember  Tremblay  for 
the  fine  dinner  that  Harris  Luse,  Ira  Henry,  Miles 
Shoup,  Jolm  Kahle,  Fred  Dean,  Jim  Devereux,  Lester 
Swartz,  Hennen  Blanton  and  I  got  at  "  the  little  cafe 
around  the  corner."  It  was  a  repast  served  on  white 
table  cloth,  with  real,  live  strawberries  at  one  corner; 
a  bowl  of  freshly-picked  cherries  at  another;  rabbit,  sur- 
passingly cooked,  steak  done  as  we  never  saw  it  before, 
French-fried  potatoes  galore,  plenty  of  bread  and  but- 
ter, chocolate  pudding,  coffee  and  tea — these  were  some 
of  the  high  spots  on  the  menu — and  the  damages  were 
only  13  francs  apiece!  We  believed  it  would  be  many 
days  until  we  got  such  a  "  feed  "  again,  and  we  were 
right. 

On  the  20th  the  regiment  moved  a  few  miles  north — 
1st  BattaHon  and  Regimental  Headquarters  going  to 
Louvres,  15  miles  north  of  Paris;  F,  G  and  H  Com- 
panies to  Chennevieres ;  Co.  E  to  Epiais ;  Companies  I, 
K  and  M  to  Villeron;  Company  L  to  Voulerans  Farm. 
The  march  was  an  easy  one  and  we  did  not  mind  it. 
We  passed  through  Roissy,  with  the  band  blaring  away 
with  "  There's  a  Long,  Long  Trail "  and  "  The  Old 
Gray  Mare."  Groups  of  French  infantrymen,  en  route 
to  the  front,  and  a  well-equipped  French  flying  field  were 


102  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

also  passed;  it  goes  without  saying  that  we  were  inter- 
ested spectators,  even  though  we  were  on  the  hike. 

The  period  from  June  20th  to  23d  was  spent  in  the 
Louvres  area;  field  and  liaison  problems  kept  the  officers 
and  troops  busy,  and  then  at  9  Sunday  morning,  the 
23d,  all  units  were  on  their  way,  via  trucks,  to  La  Tre- 
toire,  a  trip  of  70  miles,  according  to  the  route  taken. 
Five  of  us — Henry,  Shoup,  Swartz,  Blanton  and  myself 
— believing  the  fine  khaki-colored  bicycles,  Columbia- 
made,  issued  to  the  Headquarters  the  previous  night, 
ought  to  be  put  to  good  use,  decided  to  make  the  trip 
"  biking  "  it  all  the  way.  We  picked  out  our  own  route 
— one  somewhat  shorter  than  that  which  the  trucks  took 
— but  one  that  finally  proved  longer  than  our 
expectations. 

We  left  Louvres  at  9.10  a.m.  and  went  by  way  of 
Roissy,  Mesnil  Amelot,  Compans,  Gressy,  Messy  and 
iCharny.  We  had  eggs  and  coffee  at  a  cafe  in  Messy  at 
1  in  the  afternoon;  we  reached  Charny  in  good  time, 
about  1.30,  and  thinking  that  was  our  destination,  stayed 
there  and  looked  the  town  over.  Then  we  suddenly  ran 
upon  Capt.  Core,  traveling  by  motorcycle ;  he  informed 
us  that  Rebais,  some  35  miles  away,  was  our  destination. 
So  at  3  o'clock  we  were  on  our  way  again  to  Meaux,  and 
there  we  halted  long  enough  to  see  the  wonderful  cathe- 
dral, look  at  the  quaint  bridges  over  the  Marne  and  buy 
some  eatables  at  one  of  the  stores.  Then  we  proceeded 
by  way  of  Nanteuil,  Sancy,  Le  Chemin,  Corbeville  and 
Voisins  to  Coulommiers. 


UP  THE  LINE  INDEPENDENCE  DAY  103 

Reaching  Coulommiers  at  8  we  stopped  at  the  Hotel 
de  L'Ours  for  a  real  meal.  It  cost  six  francs  apiece — 
and  we  ate,  and  ate,  until  we  were  almost  ashamed  of  our 
appetites,  grown  ten  times  their  normal  size  on  the  long 
trip.  Several  soldiers  came  in  while  we  were  eating. 
One  of  them  was  David  Miller,  of  Warren,  of  a  hospital 
unit  stationed  there;  he  told  us  of  American  wounded 
coming  from  the  Chateau- Thierry  front,  and  naturally 
we  were  interested. 

It  was  after  9.30  when  we  started  on  our  hikes  for 
Rebais,  12  miles  beyond,  going  along  the  road  by  moon- 
light. Wonderful  night  it  was,  but  we  were  tired.  It 
was  1 1  when  we  got  to  Rebais,  were  halted  by  a  French 
sentinel  with  a  blue  lantern,  and  then  we  moved  to  an 
open  field  and  made  ourselves  comfortable  in  a  haystack. 
It  was  11.20  then,  we  had  covered  more  than  60  miles  and 
hadn't  found  the  regiment. 

Had  we  known  that  we  were  tackling  a  60-mile  trip 
in  one  day  by  bicycle,  it  is  doubtful  if  we  fellows  would 
have  embarked  on  such  an  expedition,  but  we  still  have 
memories  of  passing  through  some  of  the  most  beautiful 
sections  of  France.  Meaux,  the  Mame  River  and  late 
supper  at  the  hotel  in  Coulommiers — these  amply  re- 
paid us  for  the  trip.  Naturally,  we  slept  as  only  tired 
doughboys  can,  and  it  was  with  some  effort  that  we  got 
up  at  6  the  next  morning  and  shook  the  straw  from 
our  backs. 

Meanwhile,  the  entire  regiment,  traveling  in  Frencli 


104  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

camions,  driven  by  Annamites  and  Tonkinese,  had  gone 
on  to  La  Tretoire,  about  five  miles  beyond  Rebais. 

Our  sleeping  in  a  haystack  under  the  great  broad 
sky,  with  bombing  planes  flying  overhead  and  making  a 
raid  only  a  dozen  miles  away,  was  nothing  out  of  the 
ordinary  for  five  tired  fellows  who  had  pedaled  60  miles 
in  one  day. 

At  La  Tretoire  the  men  were  without  the  cookers  and 
the  wagon  train,  and  they  had  to  prepare  a  meal  of  their 
own;  in  other  words,  they  were  getting  into  the  soldier 
game  with  both  feet.  Fellows  who  had  never  cooked 
before  were  trying  their  hand  at  frying  beefsteak — this 
was  the  scene  presented  to  us  fellows  as  we  got  into  the 
town  that  morning  about  8  o'clock. 

Finding  circumstances  to  be  as  described,  and  anx- 
ious for  a  real  meal,  we  were  not  too  tired  to  bike  it  to 
a  little  town  some  four  or  five  miles  beyond  La  Tretoire 
that  morning;  there,  after  some  coaxing,  we  finally  got 
an  egg  omelet  and  some  bread.  At  3  in  the  afternoon 
the  same  contingent  of  five  went  to  Coulommiers,  which 
was  then  the  hospital  center  for  some  of  the  wounded 
from  Chateau- Thierry,  and  we  had  another  supper  at 
the  hotel.  We  also  made  a  canvass  of  the  city  for  things 
to  eat,  and  had  no  trouble  at  all  in  stocking  up.  And 
then,  incidentally,  we  saw  a  red-blooded  American  girl 
from  Philadelphia,  who  said  her  home  was  at  Twelfth 
and  Spruce.    She  had  a  nifty  little  Y.  M.  C.  A.  car. 

Back  at  La  Tretoire  the  boys  pursued  the  hobo  life 
all  day — officers,  too,  for  that  matter — and  there  was 


UP  THE  LINE  INDEPENDENCE  DAY  105 

nothing  much  doing  except  cleaning  equipment  and 
making  one's  self  "  as  comfortable  as  circumstances  \\'ill 
permit."  Just  then  we  five  fellows  were  enjoying  a  real 
meal  at  the  hotel,  so  we  didn't  worry.  It  was  9  at  night 
when  we  started  back  to  camp;  it  was  10.30  when  we 
pulled  in. 

The  25th,  the  following  day,  saw  drills  resumed, 
French  tactics  being  followed.  The  wagon  train  arrived, 
and  this  meant  that  we  were  to  have  meals  served  hot 
from  the  cookers — quite  welcome,  you  might  believe, 
after  men  had  spent  two  days  as  their  o^vn  cooks.  And 
so  there  was  no  complaining  whatever  when  the  usual 
front-line  stew  was  forthcoming.  The  26th  came  and 
went,  bombing  practice,  grenade-throwing,  inspection 
of  rifles  and  iron  rations  being  the  order  of  the  day. 

Shortly  after  mess  that  evening  the  advance  detail, 
which  had  left  Camp  Hancock  for  the  Langi-es  training 
school  in  France  before  departure  of  the  regiment — the 
detail  which  had  been  commanded  by  Lieut.-Colonel 
Gamble,  with  First  Lieutenant  John  F.  Graff  as  Adju- 
tant— arrived  and  took  up  their  old  places  in  the  com- 
panies. The  enhsted  men  told  us  they  had  landed  at  St. 
Nazaire,  and  from  there  had  gone  to  Langres,  not  far 
from  Pershing's  headquarters  at  Chaumont. 

As  for  the  27th,  the  httle  diary  which  I  have  kept  has 
this  remark  : 

I  like  the  life  in  France  first  rate.  There  is  something  fascinat- 
ing about  sleeping  on  a  hard  floor  made  soft  with  grass,  of  having 
but  one  blanket  and  no  overcoat  (one  blanket  and  the  overcoat  being 


106  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

turned  in  last  evening).  There  has  been  an  inspection  of  rifles  and 
of  gas  masks,  and  everything  is  in  readiness  for  movement  up  the 
line  when  the  word  comes  for  us  to  go.  Unserviceable  gas  masks 
were  turned  in  to-day.  The  companies  had  regular  drill  as  usual, 
and  the  men  looked  like  real  trench  warriors  when  they  came  in  from 
the  field  this  morning,  wearing  their  steel  helmets. 

All  the  liaison  units  of  the  outfit  took  part  in  a  man- 
euver, with  aeroplanes  assisting,  on  Friday,  June  28th. 
The  planes  flew  overhead,  and  while  the  rehearsal  of 
signals  was  going  on,  a  Hun  plane  appeared.  It  goes 
without  additional  remarks  that  it  wasn't  long  until  this 
unexpected  and  most  unwelcome  visitor  was  given  a 
shower  of  shrapnel  from  the  French  Archies. 

The  next  day  word  came  that  we  were  to  leave  La 
Tretoire  without  delay,  undoubtedly  on  the  morning  of 
June  29,  and  preparations  were  made  accordingly.  The 
boys  who  had  been  sleeping  in  the  "  hotel "  on  the  con- 
crete floor,  or  hay  loft,  however,  found  time  to  help  the 
kindly  lady  of  the  house  to  pitch  hay  into  the  attic — and 
it  was  here  that  John  Kahle,  veteran  color-bearer,  again 
distinguished  himself.  And  then  this  significant  note 
appears : 

She  treated  everyone  who  helped  to  a  drink  of  hard  cider.  My 
ambitions  were  not  so  great. 

Old  Dame  Rumor  was  right  for  once,  and  true  to  the 
stories  she  spread,  Bussieres,  a  little  village  of  a  few 
houses  and  but  a  few  miles  south  of  the  Marne  River, 
came  into  our  lives.  We  found  it  a  very  small  place,  on 
the  main  north-and-south  road  to  La  Ferte  sous  Jouarre, 


# 


UP  THE  LINE  INDEPENDENCE  DAY  107 

which  is  nine  kilos  to  the  north.  Our  office  was  located 
in  the  Mayor's  office — the  best  place,  by  the  way,  that  we 
found  in  France ;  and  so,  on  tables  which  had  been  used 
by  the  village  council  in  other  days,  we  pounded  out 
orders  and  training  memorandums  that  were  preparing 
our  boys  for  the  first  big  jump  into  the  real  war  game 
around  Chateau-Thierry.  At  that  time  the  Marines 
were  still  active  up  there.  It  was  at  the  same  office  that 
the  7th  Infantry,  2d  Division,  had  conducted  its  affairs 
but  a  few  weeks  previous. 

Work  for  enlisted  men  in  the  companies,  for  the 
office  force  and  for  all  the  officers  increased  by  leaps  and 
bounds ;  we  knew  that  something  was  to  be  doing  some 
of  the  days  to  follow.  The  verj'-  day  we  got  to  Bussieres 
orders  came  to  send  a  number  of  our  men  to  the  trenches 
on  the  1st  day  of  July,  to  be  attached  to  the  Marines  and 
U.  S.  Infantry  companies  of  the  2d  Division.  These 
were  to  be  the  first  112th  boys  to  get  into  the  war  game. 
The  plan  was  to  have  these  men  spend  a  week  at  the 
front,  to  be  relieved  by  another  detail.  But  events 
changed  these  plans  at  the  last  minute,  though  all  the 
battalion  commanders  of  our  regiment,  together  with 
those  of  the  111th,  did  spend  three  days  at  the  front  line. 
Colonel  Rickards  was  also  up  to  the  shellfire  district  sev- 
eral times — all  this  taking  place  while  our  boys  were 
working  and  training  hard,  in  final  preparation  for  active 
participation  in  the  life-and-death  battle  with  the  Hun. 

Every  now  and  then  Jerry  planes  w^ould  come  over, 
in  an  effort  to  see  what  was  going  on.    But  there  were 


« 


108  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

plenty  of  trees  about,  and  they  did  not  see  much;  then, 
too,  without  exception,  the  anti-aircraft  guns  always 
gave  the  Fritzies  an  unpleasant  barrage. 

On  Sunda}^  June  30,  every  unit  in  the  regiment  was 
mustered  for  pay.  I  cannot  forget  how  our  Headquar- 
ters Company  lined  up.  It  seemed  odd  to  us  to  be 
standing  under  the  big  spreading  elm — one  of  the  largest 
and  most  beautiful  I  have  seen  in  France — and,  some- 
thing on  the  George  Washington  order  at  Cambridge — • 
hear  our  payroll  named  bawled  out  in  a  stentorian  voice, 
while  we  echoed  "  yo  "  for  here.  Camouflaged  supply 
wagons,  a  la  tree,  were  standing  nearby,  and  in  one  of  the 
similarly  hidden  pup-tents  slept  the  Chaplain.  Other 
officers  of  the  company  fared  likewise. 

Then  came  an  order : 

As  a  preventive  measure  against  aeroplane  attacks  groups  of 
men^  vehicles  or  materials  will  not,  as  far  as  possible,  assemble  or 
be  collected  in  any  place  visible  to  aeroplanes.  No  lights  will  be 
shown  after  dark.  *  *  *  As  soon  as  an  enemy  plane  has  been 
sighted,  the  bugler  will  be  instructed  to  sound  "  Attention,"  at  which 
all  soldiers  and  inhabitants  will  go  indoors  or  remain  close  to  the 
houses  or  find  such  other  concealment  as  may  be  available.  As  soon 
as  danger  from  aeroplane  attack  has  passed,  the  bugler  will  sound 
recall. 

Then  we  knew  that  very  rapidly  we  were  getting 
into  the  game  of  self-preservation — into  the  game  of 
war  in  which  each  man  must  look  out  for  himself,  while 
at  the  same  time  training  (and  later  fighting)  for  the 
interests  of  the  land  he  loves  and  of  which,  dm'ing  those 
days  and  night,  he  often  thought. 


UP  THE  LINE  INDEPENDENCE  DAY  109 

It  was  on  the  morning  of  July  1st,  as  several  com- 
panies of  infantry  of  the  26th  Division,  or  New  England 
boys,  marched  through  Bussieres,  following  a  relief  at 
the  front,  that  we  got  a  glimpse  of  National  Guard  vet- 
erans. The  fellows  told  us  they  had  been  on  the  Toul 
sector,  the  Soissons  front,  and  now,  after  a  short  rest, 
they  expected  to  be  sent  to  the  Chateau-Thierrj'  front. 
They  looked  tired,  and  said  they  had  been  hiking  for  six 
hours  that  morning,  after  detraining  at  a  railhead  some 
distance  away.  But  what  struck  us  most,  they  were  all 
hardy  looking  National  Guard  veterans;  most  of  them 
belonged  to  the  104th  Regiment. 

During  the  day  we  got  the  first  word  of  casualties 
among  boys  of  our  own  division.  Seven  members  of  the 
103d  Engineers,  then  working  close  to  the  front,  had 
been  fatally  gassed. 

Then,  into  this  training  rush  came  the  announcement 
of  the  Red  Cross — which  to  us  seemed  a  welcome  clarion 
call — that  American  newspapers,  the  American  editions 
of  the  New  York  Herald  and  the  Daily  Mail,  were  to  be 
distributed  free  to  the  boys  on  the  front  each  day.  The 
training  program  proceeded  as  before,  and  every  avail- 
able hour  of  daylight  until  retreat  in  the  evening  was 
devoted  to  perfection  of  those  tactics  to  be  used  in  de- 
feating the  Hun. 

On  the  morning  of  July  3d  every  company  com- 
mander in  the  outfit  was  off  for  the  front,  to  look  over 
the  ground.  They  took  their  lunclies  along,  and  at  8 
o'clock  the  wagon  left  Regimental  Headquarters,  or  the 


110  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Mayor's  office,  for  what  was  then  the  line  north  of  La 
Chapelle  and  about  Fays  Farm — places  which  were  to 
become  familiar  to  us  soon  afterward. 

Mess,  incidentally,  was  especially  good  that  day. 
We  had  rolled  oats,  meat  and  coffee,  with  milk,  for 
breakfast.  The  oats  was  purchased  from  the  commis- 
sary truck  which  visited  Bussieres  the  day  before. 
Naturally  the  visit  of  the  truck  was  something  of  a  sen- 
sation. AVe  bought  candy,  towels,  cigarettes,  pineap- 
ples, peaches  and  soap  at  rock-bottom  prices. 

On  the  afternoon  of  July  3d  a  memorandum  came 
down  from  Division  Headquarters  stating  that  there 
would  be  no  drills  or  work  on  the  following  day;  the 
American  troops  would  celebrate  Independence  Day 
quietly. 

We  had  some  misgivings  about  that,  but  we  planned 
for  a  long  sleep  in  the  morning.  At  the  same  time  we 
heard  that  the  111th  had  been  engaged  in  action  with  the 
Huns,  and  that  the  two  platoons  which  had  fought 
alongside  the  French  had  casualties  totaling  17,  first 
reports  said.  Then  we  began  figuring  that  it  might  not 
be  long  until  our  own  boys  were  into  the  affray;  there 
were  only  rumors,  but  the  visits  of  the  officers  to  the 
front,  the  detailing  of  enlisted  men  for  special  instruc- 
tion in  the  reserve  trenches  seemed  to  indicate  "  some- 
thing," we  thought. 

It  was  on  this  date  that  wrapped  leggings  were  is- 
sued to  every  man  in  the  outfit — and  fellows  who  had 
been  anxious  to  wear  the  wrapped  type  of  leggings  were 


UP  THE  LINE  INDEPENDENCE  DAY  ill 

delighted.  There  was  plenty  of  mail  during  the  day,  and 
so,  with  all  these  features  of  cheer,  the  fellows  that  night 
never  felt  better. 

And  yet,  withal,  there  were  some  misgivings  that  the 
4th  of  July  wouldn't  be  a  hoHday  after  all.  The  at- 
mosphere seemed  electric  with  a  tensity  that  would  have 
to  break  loose  soon. 

Up  on  the  third  floor  of  the  Mayor's  building  a  group 
of  ten  of  the  boys  played  cards  until  rather  late — about 
11  o'clock.  I  dozed  oiF  into  a  sound  slumber.  And  then, 
at  12.30  the  morning  of  July  4th,  something  happened. 

Bussieres,  which  had  been  our  home  for  several 
eventful  days,  was  to  be  our  starting  point  for  the  great 
game.  July  4th,  the  American  Day  of  Independence, 
was  to  go  down  into  history. 

As  Ted  Brubaker  called  us  and  then  gave  several 
of  the  fellows  a  vigorous  kick  to  awaken  them,  we  could 
hardly  believe  that  his  statement,  "  Boys,  we're  going  to 
move  right  away;  get  up  and  get  the  stuff  packed,"  wag 
to  be  something  of  a  historic  declaration.  We  moved 
and  helped  make  history  in  the  next  hour  and  a  half; 
and  with  that  movement,  our  days  of  training  for  action 
virtually  came  to  an  end  in  France. 

In  the  pitch  darkness,  now  and  then  weirdly  dis- 
pelled by  flares  and  gun-flashes  up  the  line,  illuminating 
the  horizon,  the  column  moved  off  with  a  rush.  It  was 
2.30  A.M.  and  the  day  was  Independence  Day.  Most 
men  wore  their  steel  helmets,  packs  had  been  Imrriedly 
made,  and  some  personal  possessions  were  left  beliind; 


112  WITH  THE.112TH  IN  FRANCE 

most  men  were  thinking  one  thought:  "  We're  going  to 
wade  right  into  the  thick  of  it  now." 

The  band,  by  some  miraculous  maneuver,  picked  up 
all  its  trappings,  tore  down  pup-tents  and  rolled  packs 
without  any  light  whatever ;  then  slung  their  instruments 
over  their  shoulder  and  lumbered  off.  We  fell  in,  strag- 
gling at  the  first  few  hundred  yards,  and  then  moved 
into  a  sohd  column. 

I  can  still  hear  Miles  Shoup  saying,  "  AVell,  I  guess 
we  are  into  the  game  at  last." 

The  Headquarters  Companj^  halted  for  a  few  min- 
utes at  the  cross-roads,  on  the  main  highway  that  ran 
to  La  Ferte  sous  Jouarre;  then,  as  the  other  battalions 
and  companies  fell  into  line,  Colonel  Rickards  gave  the 
command  to  move  on,  and  the  whole  contingent  was  off 
on  a  record-brealdng  march  for  the  front. 

By  3  A.M.  the  entire  regiment  had  moved  out.  Then, 
pushing  on  with  more  energy  than  we  had  ever  before 
displayed  on  a  hike,  our  throats  parched  and  sore  in  the 
cool  night  air,  due  to  the  extra  exertion,  we  swung 
through  Basseville,  then  Viels  Maisons  and  on  to  La 
Chapelle.  The  Headquarters  Company  took  up  a  posi- 
tion in  the  woods  a  kilo  northeast,  the  other  battalions 
going  into  positions  directly  behind  the  third  line  or  re- 
serve trenches — about  a  half  kilo  in  our  front. 

Meanwhile,  daylight  had  come  and  with  the  final 
halt,  we  flopped  on  the  ground,  under  trees,  about  hay- 
stacks and  weeds — anywhere  that  we  might  rest  and 
still  be  out  of  sight  of  enemy  planes.    We  did  not  know 


UP  THE  LINE  INDEPENDENCE  DAY  113 

much  about  what  was  then  taking  place,  but  Field  Order 
X,  of  the  previous  day,  threw  some  light  on  the  situation. 
It  read : 

1 — The  enemy  is  in  force  on  the  north  side  of  the  Marne  River, 
its  most  southern  advance  being  Chateau-Thierry.  Our  division  will 
be  disposed  on  a  line  approximately  Nogent-Caquerets-Coerton, 

2 — This  regiment  will  take  up  a  defensive  position  between  the 
railroad  at  Montfau9on  and  La  Chapelle.  Its  advance  lines  will  be 
Arrouard  Farm-Queue  Farm-Carr.  If  attacked,  this  line  WILL  BE 
HELD.  The  regimental  reserve  will  be  at  Fays — [the  name  of  the 
wood  and  farm  to  which  our  particular  unit  went] . 

Whether  it  was  really  a  practice  march  or  a  matter 
of  real  importance  in  the  war  game  was  decided  at  3  that 
afternoon,  when  Colonel  Rickards  sent  a  report  to  the 
Headquarters  of  the  56th  Brigade;  in  part,  he  said: 

The  entire  movement  of  about  4000  troops  was  made  behind 
cover,  into  the  positions  occupied  by  them,  without  exposing  them 
to  the  enemy's  view.  The  march,  which  covered,  for  the  longest  dis- 
tance, about  1014  miles  and  the  shortest  about  9^4  miles,  was  made 
in  the  remarkable  short  time  of  three  to  three  and  a  half  hout8, 
during  which  but  two  men  of  the  command  fell  out.  Altogether, 
it  was  one  of  the  most  satisfactory  movements  of  troops  that  I  have 
ever  been  connected  with,  exhibiting  keen  interest  and  willingness 
of  the  men  to  perform  their  duties  without  murmur  or  the  exhibition 
of  fatigue  when  they  believed  they  were  being  called  to  the  front 
line  for  active  duty. 

A  withdrawal  was  accomplished  at  1  o'clock  that 
afternoon  to  positions  in  the  Grande  Foret  (or  Grand 
Forest),  three  kilos  to  the  south.  This  was  in  accord- 
ance with  the  following  orders,  hastily  written  in  a  hay- 
field  at  Fays  Farm: 

8 


114  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Headquarters  112th  Infantry, 
American  Expeditionary  Forces 

Field  Order  No.  1  La  Chapelle,  France,  4  July,  IQIS. 

1.  The  enemy  in  our  front  has  retired.  Our  division  will  with- 
draw to  the  south. 

2.  This  regiment  will  withdraw  this  afternoon  to  GRANDE 
FORET,  via  the  LA  CHAPELLE-CHEZY-VIELS  MAISONS 
road,  bivouacking  for  the  night  in  the  forest  east  of  the  road. 

3.  Withdrawal  from  the  present  position  will  be  made  in  the 
following  order: 

Hq.  Co.,  2d  Bn.,  3d  Bn.,  Machine  Gun  Co.,  112th  Inf., 
and  Co.  D,  lOPth  Machine  Gun  Bn. 

4.  Wagon  trains  in  the  order  named  for  troops  will  follow  this 
column  to  FONTAINE  LE  BEAU,  where  additional  orders  will  be 
handed  them. 

(x)  The  formation  of  march  will  be  column  of  platoons, 
with  double  file  on  each  side  of  the  road,  distance 
between  platoons  will  be  440  yards;  between  com- 
panies the  same  distance;  between  battalions,  one-half 
mile,  or  880  yards. 

Wagon  trains  will  move  five  wagons  in  group,  20  yards 
between  wagons,  100  yards  between  each  section  of 
5  wagons. 

5.  The  Commanding  Officer  will  ride  at  the  head  of  the  column. 

By  order  of 
Official  Colonel  Geo.  C.  Rickards. 

James  C.  Shaw, 

Captain,  112th  Infantry, 
Ad  j  utant. 
Verbally  to  All  Commanding  Officers, 
Copy  to  Commanding  General, 

56th  Infantry  Brigade. 


UP  THE  LINE  INDEPENDENCE  DAY  115 

Headquarters  112th  Infantry, 
American  Expeditionary  Forces 

La  Chapelle,  France,  4  July,  1918,  1  p.m. 

1.  Field  Order  No.  1,  Headquarters  112th  Infantry,  LA  CHA- 
PELLE,  FRANCE,  4  July,  1918,  11  a.m.,  is  changed  as  follows: 

2.  Paragraph  (x)  is  changed  to  read: 

The  formation  of  march  will  be  column  of  half  companies  at 
one-half  mile  distance.  Vehicles  will  march  in  groups  of  five  at 
100  yards  distance. 

Care  will  be  taken  to  conceal  movement.  Elements  will  be 
bivouacked  in  such  order  as  to  facilitate  most  rapid  movement  to 
position  in  the  defense  line  in  case  the  alert  is  given. 

By  order  of 
Official  Colonel  Geo.  C.  Rickards. 

James  C.  Shaw, 

Captain,  112th  Infantry, 
Adj  utant. 


So  at  3  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  July  4th,  while  a 
machine  gun  battalion  of  the  2d  Division  that  had  seen 
sei'vice  at  Chateau-Thierry  was  being  decorated,  the 
112th  Infantry  went  into  bivouac  in  the  Grande  Foret. 
Interest  was  divided  between  the  impressive  ceremonies 
for  the  machine  gun  battalion  on  parade  in  the  woods 
and  the  forest  itself. 

The  Regimental  Headquarters  was  established  in  a 
wigwam  of  thatch ;  our  only  t>T)ewTiter  was  the  Corona, 
and  two  steel  helmets  served  unsatisfactorily  as  a  desk. 
That  afternoon,  among  other  things,  we  issued  a  memo 
about  being  humane  to  German  prisoners,  which  said 
that  "it  is  neither  humane  nor  is  it  a  good  business 


116  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

policy  to  have  an  attitude  of  not  taking  prisoners,"  and 
urged  the  American  soldiers  to  show  every  consideration 
to  Huns  who  wanted  to  give  themselves  up. 

It  was  here  that  we  spent  the  remainder  of  July  4th 
in  one  of  the  most  beautiful  forests  we  had  seen  up  until 
that  time — the  roar  of  the  guns  could  be  heard  con- 
stantly, Hun  and  American  aeroplanes  were  busy,  over 
the  slope  several  French  and  American  observation  bal- 
loons were  up  directing  artillery  fire — and  shells  were 
faUing  not  far  from  us.  We  were  getting  educated  to 
the  war  game  and  seeing  it  for  the  first  time  while  folks 
back  home  were  picnicking  and  in  other  ways  celebrating 
the  4th  of  July. 

And  here  my  faithful  little  book  records : 

It  is  a  day  I  will  never  forget.  High  spots  were  the  rapid  pace 
of  the  hike,  reflection  of  guns  being  fired  up  the  line  as  we  marched 
along  in  the  dark,  the  cold  weather  of  the  early  morning  of  the 
4th,  the  camp  in  the  Grande  Foret  and  the  uncertainty  of  the 
situation. 

For  the  first  time  in  France  we  had  marched  in  two 
long  lines,  each  man  several  paces  from  the  one  in  front 
of  him,  as  we  went  into  the  woods;  we  were  to  do  that 
many  times  again  before  the  war  game  was  ended. 


CHAPTER  IX 

HILL  204  TAKES  ITS  TOLL 

First  Casualties  of  the  Regiment  at  Hill 
204  on  July  6th — Trying  Days  South  of  the 
Marne — Memorable  Barrage  of  July  14th-15th — 
Chamblon,  Charly  and  the  Chateau-Thierry  Orders. 

At  3  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  July  5th,  scarcely 
more  than  twenty-four  hours  after  the  word  came  for 
that  record-breaking  hike  to  the  reserve  trenches  south 
of  the  Marne,  orders  arrived  for  the  units  of  the  56th 
Brigade  to  resume  their  old  positions  in  the  vicinity  of 
Bussieres.  So  two  hours  later  the  112th  was  hitting  the 
highroad  again,  pulling  out  of  the  Grande  Foret  at  sun- 
rise, skirting  the  great  broad  lake  that  is  fringed  with  a 
heavy  growth  of  trees,  and  then  darting  out  into  the 
open,  in  full  view  of  more  than  a  dozen  friendly  aero- 
planes which  raced  above  the  roadway  at  a  great  height. 

The  dew  was  still  on  the  grass,  and  the  day  had  not 
yet  gi'own  warm,  as  the  long  columns  of  tired  dough- 
boys, hoping  for  a  breakfast  that  didn't  materiahze, 
tramped  along.  At  9  the  head  of  the  column  had  reached 
Bussieres,  and  two  hours  later  the  kitchens  were  pro- 
viding one  of  the  most  substantial  issues  of  "  slum  "  and 
hot  coffee,  to  many  a  lad's  way  of  thinking,  in  the  his- 
tory up  to  that  time. 

Meanwhile,  we  were  getting  the  complete  story  of 
the  two  platoons  of  the  111th  Infantry  which  liad  partici- 

117 


118  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

pated  in  the  engagement  at  Hill  204,  near  Chateau- 
Thierry,  on  July  1st,  with  casualties  of  about  30  per 
cent.  Five  out  of  six  non-coms  were  either  killed  or 
wounded.  One  American  lieutenant  shot  a  German 
officer  dead  with  a  single  shot  from  his  automatic  during 
the  savage  hand-to-hand  encounter  in  the  wood.  The 
number  of  wounded  at  that  time  was  unknown,  while 
twenty  111th  men  were  reported  missing. 

We  came  back  to  Bussieres  to  rest  and  try  to  re- 
count to  ourselves  the  busy  4th  of  July  we  had  spent  in 
and  around  La  Chapelie;  we  hoped  for  a  prolonged 
stay  at  Bussieres,  but  that  night  new  orders  came.  At 
8.50  we  were  officially  informed  that  the  regiment  was 
again  to  take  up  the  march  to  La  Chapelie  and  Fays 
Farm,  retracing  our  steps.  It  was  not  until  11.30,  how- 
ever, with  weather  conditions  far  less  encouraging  than 
the  early  morning  of  the  4th,  that  the  column  got  in  mo- 
tion. By  slow  and  disheartening  stages  we  finally 
reached  Grande  Foret  at  5  o'clock,  and  there  the  orders 
were  changed,  calHng  for  the  bivouacking  of  the  entire 
regiment  within  the  woods  and  at  La  Chapelie.  Regi- 
mental Headquarters  was  established  at  Les  Petites 
Vallees,  two  miles  down  the  road.  It  had  been  hiking 
and  working  for  a  stretch  of  twenty-six  hours,  with  a 
total  of  an  hour  and  a  half  sleep  for  most  of  us,  and  the 
doughboys  felt  "  all  in,"  to  use  the  vernacular. 

There  were  none  of  the  youngsters,  as  they  stood  two 
months  before  on  the  decks  of  the  Aquitania,  who 
dreamed  they  would  be  along  the  Marne  on  July  6th; 


HILL  204  TAKES  ITS  TOLL  119 

and  yet  that  afternoon,  on  the  same  day  that  we  unslung 
packs  in  Grande  Foret  again,  a  special  detail  of  five 
men  from  each  line  company  and  the  trench  mortar 
platoon  of  the  Headquarters  Company  in  its  entirety 
went  over  the  top  with  the  French  at  Hill  204,  outside  of 
Chateau-Thierry. 

Though  we  heard  rumors  late  that  night,  it  was  not 
until  the  next  day  that  we  learned  the  full  story  and  the 
first  casualties  were  tabulated.  That  first  casualty  list 
stunned  us ;  we  read  it  again  and  again. 

A  copy  of  it  ran : 

RECORD  OF  CASUALTIES  IN  ACTION  AT  HILL  204, 

6th  July,  '18. 

KILLED 

Rodocker,  Pvt.  Ralph  E.,  Co,  H,  gunshot  wound  through  head. 
Noggle,  Pvt.  Icl.  William  S.,  Hq.  Co.,  gunshot  through  head. 
Watt,  Pvt.  Icl.  Ernest  F.,  Co.  I. 

SEVERELY  WOUNDED 

m 

Dulebohn,  Pvt.  Samuel  K.,  Hq.  Co.,  wounded  through  left  elbow, 

right  upper  arm  and  left  shoulder  by  machine  gun  fire. 
Glass,  Pvt.  John  G.,  Hq.  Co.,  wounded  through  neck. 

SLIGHTLY  WOUNDED 

Young,  Second  Lieut.  Albert  A.  L.,  Co.  H,  wounded  in  shoulder  by 
shrapnel. 

Lamb,  Pvt.  Icl.  John  V.,  Hq.  Co.,  injured  in  knee  by  shell  fragment. 

Simpson,  Pvt.  Icl.  John  R.,  Hq.  Co.,  wounded  in  left  thigh  by  ma- 
chine gun  bullet. 

Scritchfield,  Pvt.  Icl.  Samuel  H.,  Co.  L. 

Radford,  Pvt.  Icl.  Otis  F.,  Co.  L. 

Peffley,  Pvt.  Harry  C,  Co.  I. 


120  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

MISSING 

Simpson,  Pvt.  Icl.,  Co.  G. 
Lyter,  Pvt.  Icl.  Charles  B.,  Co.  G. 
Barhol,  Pvt.  Joseph  A.,  Co.  G. 
Austra,  Pvt.  Icl.  Joseph  E.,  Co.  F. 
White,  Pvt.  Icl.  Donald  L.,  Co.  F. 
Greer,  Pvt.  Jesse  G.,  Co.  F. 
Strauss,  Pvt.  James  R.,  Co.  F. 
Acchuite,  P\i;.  Id.,  Co.  I. 
Bowles,  Pvt.  George  T.,  Co.  K. 
Lynch,  Pvt.  Jesse  A.,  Co.  K. 

Totals:  3  killed;  8  wounded;  10  missing. 

That  was  the  list  as  it  was  officially,  compiled  from 
somewhat  fragmentary  information  on  the  night  of 
July  7th.  Watt,  whose  name  was  carried  as  among 
those  killed,  was  left  by  his  comrades  for  dead;  later  he 
was  picked  up  by  the  Germans,  and,  after  more  than 
three  days'  unconsciousness,  sent  to  a  German  hospital 
in  the  rear;  months  afterward  he  was  sent  to  a  prison 
camp ;  and  late  in  January,  1919,  after  the  war  was  over, 
he  returned  to  his  old  organization,  then  at  Sauvigny, 
France.  And  Watt  certainly  had  a  story  to  tell,  with 
German  photographs  and  postcards  to  back  up  the  nar- 
rative of  his  travels  in  an  enemy  country. 

William  Noggle,  of  Harrisburg,  a  member  of  the 
trench  mortar  platoon  of  the  Headquarters  Company, 
"  went  west "  after  he  had  bagged  three  Germans,  a 
Hun  gunner  chained  to  a  tree  so  he  couldn't  escape 
making  a  direct  hit  on  the  Harrisburg  fighter.  The 
treacherous  sniper  was  blown  to  pieces  soon  afterward. 

Jesse  G.  Greer,  listed  among  the  missing,  died  sev- 


HILL  204  TAKES  ITS  TOLL  121 

eral  days  later  in  the  hospital,  and  Strauss,  wounded, 
and  missing  on  American  records  for  months,  was  evacu- 
ated to  a  French  hospital;  both  White  and  Austra,  also 
carried  on  the  missing  list,  as  well  as  several  others  of 
those  unaccounted  for  in  this  first  encounter,  were  picked 
up  wounded  and  sent  to  the  rear,  the  evacuation  at  first 
being  through  French  hospitals,  inasmuch  as  the  Ameri- 
cans were  operating  as  part  of  a  French  force  at  the 
time  of  the  engagement. 

Members  of  the  trench  mortar  platoon  had  a  long, 
interesting  story  to  tell,  when,  with  clothes  torn,  and 
looking  as  if  they  had  been  into  the  war  game  for  a 
long  while,  they  returned  to  Grande  Foret  at  mess-time 
Sunday  evening,  July  7th.  Heavily  laden  with  German 
souvenirs  and  trophies,  they  appeared  easily  as  the  vic- 
tors of  the  struggle;  and  their  vivid  stories  completed 
the  picture. 

Stroup,  a  flaxen-haired  little  fellow  from  the  old  8th, 
claimed  he  killed  a  German  officer  when  the  latter  started 
for  his  dugout  and  made  a  move  to  shoot.  Noggle,  who 
paid  the  price  while  returning  from  the  unscheduled 
"  over  the  top  "  escapade,  was  shot  three  times  through 
the  head.  Nearly  every  man  had  a  belt,  inscribed  "  Gott 
Mit  Uns,"  and  there  were  German  revolvers,  knives, 
field  glasses  and  other  possessions  galore.  The  boys 
made  a  regular  clean-up — and  they  were  wildly  enthusi- 
astic over  the  first  taste  of  Hun  blood. 

Second  Lieutenant  Herman  Marshall,  of  Meadville, 
was  the  leader  of  the  trench  mortar  bo  vs.    The  attack 


122  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

on  Hill  20 J<  began  at  12.22,  zero  hour,  broad  daylight. 
Our  fellows  were  with  the  French ;  they  had  kept  up  a 
perfect  barrage  with  their  guns,  and  when  they  had  fin- 
ished that,  called  out:  "  Aren't  we  going  over?  " 

Marshall  told  them  to  wait  a  minute,  then,  grabbing  a 
handful  of  grenades,  he  started,  leading  the  men  over  the 
top  and  across  No  Man's  Land.  A  German  plane  which 
had  flown  tree-high  a  few  seconds  before  had  given  the 
range  of  the  Franco- American  trenches,  and  the  dough- 
boys had  hardly  got  a  good  start  into  No  Man's  Land 
when  the  German  artillery  got  the  range  of  the  old  posi- 
tions and  trenches  disappeared  in  a  cloud  of  dirt  and 
bursting  shrapnel. 

The  boys  reached  the  second  German  line  before 
coming  to  a  stop,  advancing  a  mile  on  a  short  front. 
German  machine  guns  were  all  the  time  popping  away. 
Most  of  these  were  located  in  the  trees,  and  the  gunners 
were  chained  to  their  positions  so  they  could  not  retreat. 
Lieutenant  Albert  A.  L.  Young,  one  of  the  newer  offi- 
cers of  the  regiment,  bombed  three  Huns,  scattering 
them,  after  he  had  been  wounded  in  the  arm ;  and  then, 
when  three  more  appeared,  he  disposed  of  two  with  his 
revolver  and  hurled  a  bomb  at  the  third.  He  was  the 
only  officer  wounded.  Immediately  after  the  raid  the 
Americans  were  exposed  to  a  heavy  barrage  from  the 
German  guns,  and  this  continued  during  the  night. 

On  Sunday  Regimental  Headquarters  experienced 
its  first  dose  of  shellfire.  Shortly  after  11.15  that  morn- 
ing 9-inch  shells  from  a  German  gun  six  miles  away  be- 


HILL  204  TAKES  ITS  TOLL  123 

gan  bursting  in  the  field  to  the  rear  of  the  chateau,  kick- 
ing up  great  clouds  of  dirt  and  each  time  making  a  gain 
in  the  direction  of  the  building,  scattering  shrapnel  this 
way  and  that.  The  bombardment,  however,  resulted  in 
no  casualties,  but  it  created  plenty  of  excitement.  At 
12.30  A.M.,  July  8th,  the  bombardment  started  again, 
and  became  so  warm  that  some  of  the  occupants  of  the 
house  sought  cover  elsewhere. 

Then  July  8th  dawned.  Orders  came  for  a  move- 
ment from  La  Chapelle  and  Grande  Foret  to  reserve 
trenches  near  Fays  Farm — those  taken  up  by  us  on  July 
4th  and  evacuated  the  same  day.  But  before  the  move 
started  Colonel  Alexis  Jeunet,  of  the  3d  Division,  paid 
a  visit  to  the  boys  at  Headquarters ;  his  Headquarters,  he 
said,  was  only  four  miles  away,  but  closer  to  the  Marne 
than  ours  was  at  that  time. 

Those  days  from  July  9th  to  the  17th,  when  the  Penn- 
sylvania Division  bore  the  brunt  of  the  heavy  German 
fire,  can  never  be  erased  from  the  memory  of  those  brave 
boys  wlio  held  the  trenches.  The  terrific  artillery  duel 
of  the  night  of  July  14tli-15th,  that  cannonading  which 
was  heard  even  in  Paris,  took  a  heavy  toll.  Arrouard, 
Nogentel  and  the  other  little  villages  and  farms  occupied 
by  the  112th  companies  became  virtual  death-pockets. 
On  our  right  the  55th  Brigade  was  expending  every 
effort,  individual  and  collective,  to  break  up  the  German 
advance,  then  across  the  Marne  River.  The  story  of  how 
the  Keystone  Division,  transfomied  from  a  "  green  " 
unit  to  a  veteran  fighting  force  in  the  testing  fire  of  a 


124  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

night,  sent  the  Hun  reehng  back  to  the  Marne  and  scur- 
rying for  shelter  on  the  north  bank  has  been  written 
long  before  this. 

The  part  that  the  55th  Brigade  played  forms  one  of 
the  most  heroic  chapters  of  America's  participation  in 
the  world  war ;  and  the  steadfast  role  of  the  56th  Brigade 
under  the  death-deahng  shrapnel  fire  of  Jerry's  guns, 
was  superb  as  well. 

In  detail,  the  record  of  the  112th  Infantry  during 
that  trying  period  ran  something  like  this : 

On  July  7th  two  platoons,  one  from  Company  G  and 
another  from  Company  I,  left  at  4.30  in  the  afternoon, 
reporting  to  Moucherelle  Farm,  G  platoon  being  as- 
signed to  the  left  of  the  first  line  and  the  platoon  from 
Company  I  to  the  right  of  the  first  hne,  extending  from 
a  small  wood  just  south  of  the  crest  of  Hill  204  to  the 
River  Marne,  approximately  600  meters.  In  other 
words,  these  platoons  were  sent  into  action  with  the 
French  west  and  northwest  of  Chateau-Tliierry  and  at- 
tached to  the  146th  French  Regiment. 

The  following  day,  owing  to  a  heavy  enemy  attack 
at  10.30  P.M.,  the  left  flank  platoon,  that  of  Company  G, 
was  obliged  to  withdraw ;  a  call  for  a  barrage  was  imme- 
diately answered,  the  enemy  was  driven  back  and  the 
old  first-line  positions  reassumed.  On  July  9th  the  Ger- 
mans again  attacked  the  same  position  on  Hill  204,  en- 
filading both  the  right  and  left  platoons,  and  succeeding 
in  establishing  a  machine  gun  post  on  the  left  flank. 
Exposed  to  shellfire,  subjected  to  front-line  hardships 


HILL  204  TAKES  ITS  TOLL  125 

and  battling  in  a  hot  July  sun,  now  and  then  sustaining 
casualties  that  might  have  broken  the  spirit  of  men  less 
determined,  these  platoons,  sent  into  the  front  line  for 
"  pm*poses  of  training,"  gave  a  splendid  account  of 
themselves.  Fifteen  men  from  these  platoons,  caught  in 
a  first-aid  dressing  station  back  of  the  hne,  were  sub- 
jected to  a  heavy  shrapnel  barrage,  and  when  one  platoon 
withdrew  to  take  up  a  better  defensive  position,  these 
men  were  left  for  hours  at  the  mercy  of  German  shell- 
fire.  Such  was  the  story  that  Sergeant  Nagle,  after- 
wards Lieutenant,  told  as  he  stumbled  into  Regimental 
Headquarters  late  on  the  night  of  the  9th.  The  story 
he  and  another  non-com  told  was  so  discouraging  that 
little  hope  was  expressed  of  seeing  the  two  platoons 
again.  However,  by  the  13th,  when  a  relief  had  been 
effected,  the  remnants  returned  to  the  112th  and  re- 
joined their  organization.  For  several  days  Lieut.  Wil- 
liam W.  Shatzer  and  Lieut.  Eric  Munson,  commanding 
the  G  and  I  platoons,  respectively,  had  been  reported 
as  missing.  Shatzer  returned  with  a  mountaineer's 
beard;  Munson  came  back  a  broken  man,  nerves  shat- 
tered and  was  later  evacuated  to  one  of  the  base  hospi- 
tals with  a  severe  case  of  shellshock. 

Meanwhile,  we  had  sent  two  full  companies  into  the 
front  line  along  the  Marne  River,  this  in  accordance  with 
a  secret  letter  from  Division  Headquarters  dated  July 
8th.  Companies  H  and  M  were  detached  and  reported 
to  the  156th  French  Infantry  for  front-line  duty,  re- 
maining with  them  until  the  night  of  the  17th-18th,  when 


126  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

a  relief  was  effected.  Disposition  of  the  Regiment  on  the 
9th  showed  the  Headquarters  and  Machine  Gun  Com- 
panies still  in  bivouac  at  Fays  Fme.,  Sanitary  Detach- 
ment and  Regimental  Headquarters  being  housed  in  the 
farm  buildings  alongside  the  road,  a  kilometer  from  La 
Chapelle;  1st  Battalion  at  Les  Maisons;  2d  Battalion 
less  Company  H  at  Queue  Fme.,  and  3d  BattaHon  less 
Company  M  at  Le  Grande  Troncet.  The  supply  dump 
was  camouflaged  in  the  Grande  Foret. 

On  July  12th,  General  Pershing,  showing  consid- 
erable interest  in  the  formation  of  American  units  along 
the  Marne,  visited  the  112th  area,  remaining  in  the  1st 
Battalion  sector  for  fully  half  an  hour. 

Lieutenant  Charles  R.  Galbrath,  Jr.,  who  was  Adju- 
tant of  the  battalion,  described  the  event  some  time  later. 

"  For  several  days  we  had  been  expecting  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces,"  he  said,  "  and  we  had 
been  told  to  be  on  the  lookout.  One  morning  a  telephone  message 
came  from  Regimental  Headquarters  that  the  General  had  passed 
there  in  his  car  and  would  be  in  our  area  in  a  few  minutes.  We  all 
'  snapped  to  it '  then.  Five  or  six  runners  were  sent  out  and  by  that 
time  General  Pershing  was  on  the  scene.  I  have  never  seen  a  hand- 
somer soldier  or  a  man  of  such  splendid  military  bearing  as  General 
Pershing;  he  was  a  soldier,  every  inch  of  him.  I  can  still  recall  how, 
after  greeting  the  officers  at  battalion  headquarters.  General  Pershing 
started  on  the  tour  of  inspection,  with  Captain  Jim  Henderson,  of 
Oil  City,  in  the  lead.  He  called  to  him,  '  Captain,  you'll  have  to  step 
livelier,  or  I'll  be  right  on  your  heels.'  And  you  know  that  Captain 
Jim  was  no  slow  stepper." 

Though  Jerry  artillery  was  now  and  then  shelling 
one  position  or  another,  no  shells  dropped  close  while 


HILL  204  TAKES  ITS  TOLL  127 

the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  American  Expedition- 
ary Forces  was  about.  His  limousine,  however,  could 
well  have  been  a  target  for  shellfire  from  across  the 
Marne.  For  eight  minutes  the  German  guns  tried  to 
rain  death  in  upon  the  1st  Battalion  later  on  the  same 
afternoon,  but  no  gi^eat  damage  was  done. 

The  following  day  the  sector  of  the  regiment  was 
extended  eastward  to  include  La  Ferme  la  Trinite,  with 
the  centers  of  resistance  now  at  AiTOuard  and  La  Petit 
Noues.  The  regiment's  lengthened  line,  as  shown  by 
the  map,  read  something  like  this :  La  Petit  Queue  Fme., 
exclusive,  on  the  west,  to  La  Fme.  la  Trinite  on  the  east, 
inclusive.  This  new  disposition  was  completed  by  10 
o'clock  that  night.  The  same  evening  Company  L  had 
relieved  Company  I,  of  the  111th  Infantry,  in  the  front 
line  of  Bois  de  Loup — so  the  112th  Infantry  then  had 
three  full  companies  in  the  front  line  with  the  French: 
H,  L  and  M.  The  14th  and  15th  found  the  disposition 
of  the  regiment  with  40  men  of  the  Machine  Gun  Com- 
pany and  the  1st  Battalion  at  Arrouard;  Companies  E 
and  F  and  40  men  of  the  Machine  Gun  Company  at  La 
Petit  Noues ;  Headquarters,  I,  K  and  G  Companies  and 
73  men  of  the  Machine  Gmi  Company  at  Fays  Fme.; 
with  Companies  H,  L  and  M,  as  previously  stated,  in  the 
front  line  with  the  French  about  Nogentel,  south  of  the 
Marne  River. 

July  14th  is  France's  day  of  independence;  Bastille 
Day  is  another  name  for  it,  too.  It  was  Sunday,  and 
orders  from  Division  prescribed  that  it  should  be  a  holi- 


128  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

day.  And  yet  in  France  holidays  have  already  behed 
their  name  to  the  men  in  the  ranks.  It  was  no  surprise, 
therefore,  when  at  4  in  the  afternoon  German  and  Amer- 
ican artillery  cut  loose,  and  the  most  savage  barrage  we 
had  heard  up  until  that  time  began,  growing  in  inten- 
sity as  the  daylight  waned,  increasing  in  violence  as 
night  came.  The  earth  rocked,  the  Httle  building  in 
which  our  headquarters  was  situated  shook  as  if  it  were 
in  a  death  convulsion — and  out  along  that  otherwise 
magnificent  skyline  of  the  Mame  valley  there  were  the 
fireworks  of  death  and  destruction,  the  most  extensive 
display  any  soldier  ever  hoped  to  see;  star  shells.  Very 
lights,  the  flashes  of  scores  of  guns  and  the  noise  of  a 
hundred  thunder-storms — not  to  omit  mention  of  the 
whistle,  screech  and  bursting  of  shells.  Why  no  Jerry 
shrapnel  ever  hit  the  little  f  armliouse  at  Fays,  where  the 
Headquarters  was  located,  probably  no  one  will  ever 
be  able  to  explain.  It  occupied  a  most  prominent  place 
at  the  edge  of  an  open  field,  and  the  few  houses  nearest 
it  had  already  been  wrecked. 

It  was  during  this  night  of  the  14th  and  15th  of  July 
that  our  heaviest  casualties  south  of  the  Marne  were 
sustained.  Lieut.  WiUiam  Orr,  of  Philadelphia,  an 
officer  of  Company  E,  was  the  first  officer  to  fall  in  ac- 
tion, cut  down  by  shrapnel  in  the  shallow  trenches  of  the 
2d  Battalion. 

Coupled  with  the  shellfire,  the  Germans  sent  over  gas 
during  the  night  and  one  alarm  followed  another.  Col- 
onel Rickards  and  his  staff,  realizing  that  the  situation 


HILL  204  TAKES  ITS  TOLL  129 

might  become  more  serious  at  any  moment,  were  busy  at 
1.30  A.M.  preparing  orders  to  stem  a  German  attack  on 
the  south  bank  of  the  Marne  if  the  Huns  crossed. 

They  did  cross  later,  but  they  reached  the  south  bank 
of  the  river  in  the  district  between  Chateau-Thierry  and 
Dormans,  and  so  it  fell  to  the  109th  and  110th  Infantry, 
holding  that  sector,  to  throw  back  the  advance.  Thus  it 
came  about  that  Conde-en-Brie  and  the  little  towns  south 
of  the  Marne  were  given  a  name  in  history.  The  112th 
and  111th  stood  ready  to  do  their  fuU  share;  but  just 
then  all  thej^  could  do  was  to  dodge  a  hail  of  shells  that 
hourly  took  their  toll. 

Doctors  worked  at  the  hurriedly  arranged  first-aid 
stations,  practically  in  the  open,  and  not  immune  from 
gas.  Men  of  the  Supply  Company  going  to  the  front 
were  caught  in  the  gas  clouds.  ShelLfire  swept  the  roads, 
and  a  new  rolhng  kitchen  destined  for  Company  C  was 
blown  up  en  route,  while  a  1st  BattaHon  water-cart  went 
skyward  as  a  German  shell  made  a  direct  hit. 

Ambulances  dashed  up  the  road  to  La  Chapelle  and 
hurried  back  all  day,  the  drivers  seeming  not  to  care  how 
close  shells  were  falling.  More  guns  were  hurried  into 
position,  reeling  down  the  roadway  amid  clouds  of  dust 
and  in  the  broad  daylight.  Some  took  up  positions  near 
Fays,  but  others  went  farther  down  the  slope.  The 
whole  situation  was  alive  with  excitement. 

Over  the  telephone  came  reports  of  the  casualties 
during  the  night ;  in  groups  of  three  and  four  the  names 
were  tabulated,  and  the  list  filed.    By  the  afternoon  of 

9 


130  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

July  loth  the  figures  showed  that  the  1st  Battahon  had 
lost  2  killed  and  41  wounded;  the  2d  Battalion,  11  killed 
and  35  wounded.  That  night  Chaplain  David  G.  Mann, 
working  with  a  fatigue  party  whose  faces  were  pale  and 
drawn,  buried  the  dead  of  the  2d  Battahon,  while  Jerry 
shells  whistled  overhead,  and  some  broke  nearby;  and 
the  day  following  the  body  of  Lieut.  Orr  was  laid  to  rest 
under  a  big  tree  opposite  Kegimental  Headquarters. 
Musician  Francis  Maloney  blew  taps. 

And  here  was  July  15th,  the  anniversary  of  the  call 
into  active  service!  The  outlook  that  day  seemed  grim 
and  disheartening;  our  first  pals,  those  brief  reports  over 
the  field  telephone  told  us,  had  fallen. 

Jerrj^  planes  were  active,  and  in  full  view  that  after- 
noon they  brought  down  an  American  observation  bal- 
loon and  one  French  plane.  Moreover,  late  that  night 
word  came  that  three  officers  were  temporarily  out  of  the 
war  game — Lieut.  William  R.  Wads  worth  and  Captain 
Reuben  Sharpe,  gassed;  Captain  Lucius  M.  Phelps,  hit 
with  shrapnel  in  the  arm. 

Then  Germany,  in  a  last  desperate  effort  to  get  to 
Paris,  threw  her  troops  across  the  Marne  River,  sent 
them  over  en  masse  from  Jaulgonne,  Marcilly,  Char- 
teves  and  those  other  little  Marne  River  villages  on  the 
line  between  Chateau-Thierry  and  Dormans ;  sent  them 
across,  and  pushing  southward,  only  to  run  into  that 
iron  wall  of  "  green  "  Pennsylvania  troops  who  did  not 
know  how  to  retreat.  Events  moved  quickly  when  that 
news  came. 


HILL  204  TAKES  ITS  TOLL  131 

Early  on  the  morning  of  July  18th,  while  French 
soldiers  strung  barbed  wire  entanglements  at  Fays 
Farm,  our  boys  were  on  the  8-mile  march  to  Chamblon, 
directly  east  of  our  position.  We  reached  there  at  10.30, 
and  found  by  looking  at  the  map  we  were  about  three 
miles  southwest  of  St.  Agnan,  then  the  crest  of  the  Ger- 
man rush  southward.  We  could  see  the  Hun's  observa- 
tion balloons,  and  eveiy  man  was  told  to  keep  under 
cover. 

Down  in  the  valley,  two  hundred  yards  from  the 
Headquarters  Company,  French  75's  kept  up  a  contin- 
ual banging — and  then  came  the  great  word,  via  the  lit- 
tle French  wireless  station  in  the  steel  shed  behind  Head- 
quarters— the  Yanks  had  started  their  big  push  around 
Chateau-Thierry  and  south  of  the  Marne.  Our  boys 
were  elated.  First  reports  said  that  twenty  villages  had 
fallen  to  the  Americans  and  French  on  a  28-mile  line. 
The  artillery  din  in  our  valley  knew  no  let-up ;  night  and 
day  it  was  going.  Daring  French  aviators  brought  do-wn 
two  of  the  German  sausage  balloons  and  scored  a  third 
"  fall  "  within  view  of  our  roadside  billet  on  the  19th. 

Then  came  the  great  news  of  the  20th ;  the  Germans 
were  retreating  across  the  Marne,  and  each  hour  the 
wireless,  supplemented  by  the  American  papers  then 
reaching  us  from  Paris,  was  telling  of  the  progress. 
Through  the  glasses  we  could  see  the  great  column  of 
smoke  from  one  village  fired  by  the  Huns.  The  French 
75's  left  the  valley  and  moved  to  new  positions — the  re- 
treating Germans  were  out  of  range. 


132  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Suddenly  and  very  unexpectedly  we  changed  sta- 
tions that  night  of  July  20th.  From  5  to  9  o'clock  we 
waited  for  the  French  camions  which  were  to  hurry  us 
to  Chateau- Thierry  or  somewhere  near  there — that  was 
the  report  that  gained  widespread  hearing.  At  9,  after 
we  had  waited  for  the  trucks  and  had  gone  without  sup- 
per, they  came;  we  piled  in,  boxes,  field  desks,  packs 
and  some  twenty  men — an  awful  mixture  of  parapher- 
naha  and  arms,  legs  and  equipment — and  as  the  moon 
came  up,  the  long  truck  train  moved  off. 

At  6.30  the  following  morning  we  awoke,  to  find  our- 
selves across  the  Marne  and  in  the  little  resort  city  of 
Charly-sur-Marne,  to  the  southwest  of  Chateau-Thierry. 
Picturesque,  shell-hit  and  splendidly  situated  on  a 
sweeping  curve  of  the  river,  the  town  fascinated  us.  We 
had  crossed  the  Marne  at  Saulchery. 

Before  any  of  us  could  get  any  rest,  the  first  field 
order  was  issued,  assigning  the  units  of  the  regiment  to 
the  woods  north  and  northeast  of  Charly,  to  those  high 
hills  which  commanded  a  magnificent  sweep  of  the 
Marne  valley,  and  which  had  ahiiost  baffled  the  wag- 
oners in  getting  their  teams  and  trains  up  the  slope  dur- 
ing the  night. 

That  field  order,  timed  12.30  p.m.,  21  July,  1918, 
said,  in  part : 

From  reliable  information  the  enemy  is  retiring  to  the  east  and 
north,  his  salient  extending  to  and  including  Chateau-Thierry  and 
Hill  204  is  being  withdrawn,  and  Chateau-Thierry  evacuated.     Our 


HILL  204  TAKES  ITS  TOLL  133 

troops  are  still  pushing  the  enemy  both  from  the  southeast  and 
the  southwest. 

The  S9th  Division  is  on  our  left,  and  the  26th  on  the  left  of  the 
39th.  The  109th  Machine  Gun  Battalion,  Major  Foos  commanding, 
is  bivouacked  on  the  unimproved  road  running  south  from  180,  north 
of  Charly.  One  battalion,  111th  Infantry,  Major  Donnelly  com- 
manding, is  in  the  wood  at  La  Canardierie  Fme. ;  Brigade  Hq.  at 
Saulchery;  Division  Hq.  at  Charly. 

Regimental  Headquarters  is  established  at  House  111,  west  end 
of  village  of  Charly,  on  Charly-Saulchery  Road. 

This  was  a  splendidly  furnished  chateau,  owned  by  a 
French  family  that  had  used  it  for  a  summer  home,  and 
whose  residence  evidently  was  in  Paris.  It  boasted  of 
two  pianos,  and  "  Dusty  "  Cameron,  of  the  Ordnance 
Detacliment,  lost  no  time  in  giving  the  office  force  some 
ragtime ;  and  then,  hunger  getting  the  best  of  us,  since 
the  last  meal  had  been  at  noon  the  day  previous,  we 
tramped  two  miles  and  a  half  up  the  steep  hillside  and 
into  the  woods  for  our  mess.  Dinner  that  memorable 
2ist  of  July — known  as  "  Battle  Sunday  "  in  the  good 
old  U.  S.  A. — consisted  of  one  shce  of  bread  with  mo- 
lasses and  a  cup  of  black  coffee. 

Tramping  back  into  Charly  again,  passing  a  ceme- 
tery that  had  been  nicked  by  shells,  the  office  force  ar- 
rived just  in  time  to  learn  that  the  entire  regiment  was 
to  be  on  the  move  at  3  that  afternoon.  The  Germans  at 
10  that  morning  had  quit  Chateau-Thierry  for  all  time, 
and  we  were  to  take  up  the  pm'suit.  Our  destination  was 
to  be  Brasles,  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  Chateau-Thierry, 
and  so  another  historic  field  order,  notable  for  its  brevity. 


134  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

was  published  on  the  httle  Corona  at  Regimental  Head- 
quarters, with  the  kitchen  table  in  JNIadame  's 

chateau  as  a  desk.    It  read : 

Headquarters  112th  Infantry, 
American  Expeditionary  Forces 


Map  Reference: 
MEAUX  N.  E.  1 :  50,000. 


Charly,  21  July,  1918,  2.00  p.m. 


FIELD  ORDER  NO.  2. 

TROOPS  1.  The  enemy  have  retired,  moving  north- 

IN  ORDER  OF  MARCH  ward  from  the  River  Marne.     Our  troops 

(a)    1st  Bn.  are  closely  following. 

Major  Smathers.  2.  This  regiment  will  move  to  BRASLES 

2d  Bn.  to-day. 

Capt.  Phelps.  3.  The  First  Battalion  will  start  at  3.00 

3d  Bn.  o'clock  by  way  of  CAMP-6-4-4-l-trail-MT. 

Capt.  Brown.  DEBONNEIL  -  CROGIS  -  ESSOMES- 

Hq.  Co.  CHATEAU  -THIERRY  -  BRASLES 

M'.  G.  Co.  road.     Platoons  will  follow  at  50  meters, 

companies    100    meters,    bns.    200    meters 

distance. 

4.  Trains  will  be  consolidated  and  will 
follow  the  column  at  distance  prescribed 
by  the  Supply  Officer. 

5.  Messages  to  the  head  of  the  column. 

By  order  of 
Official  Colonel  Geo.  C.  Rickards. 

James  C.  Shaw, 

Captain,  112th  Infantry, 
Adjutant. 

Packs  were  rolled  again,  and  those  fellows  who  had 
planned  to  take  a  bath  in  the  small  cement  tank  in  the 


HILL  204  TAKES  ITS  TOLL  135 

back  yard  of  the  chateau  had  to  console  themselves  with 
the  thoughts  of  dust  and  miles  to  be  covered  before 
nightfall. 

We  were  on  the  move  at  3 ;  the  train  pulled  out  at  5, 
and  the  historic  dash  into  Chateau-Thierry,  through 
Essomes  and  past  Hill  204,  became  a  reahty. 

Fair  weather,  a  cool  Sunday  night  and  a  pale 
moon — this  was  the  setting.  Cries  of  "Gas!"  as  we 
neared  the  zone  of  activity  let  us  know  that  we  were 
approaching.  Then  suddenly  the  whole  sky  was  illumi- 
nated by  a  ghastly  red  glare,  guns  pounded  and  bel- 
lowed, the  earth  rocked,  sometimes  shrapnel  biu-st  not 
far  away — we  were  well  within  the  war  zone;  our  part 
in  another  Battle  of  the  Marne  had  begun. 


CHAPTER  X 

CHATEAU-THIERRY,  AND  NORTH 

March  Through  the  City  on  Sunday,  July  21st — 
Dodging  Shells  From  German  Guns — Bois  de  Barbillon, 
Exciting  Days  at  fipieds,  Rest  in  Bois  de  Trugny — 
The    Record    Drive     of    the    Second     Battalion. 

The  siin  was  setting  on  that  memorable  Smiday,  July 
21st,  as  the  112th  Infantry  column,  on  the  march  from 
Charly-sur-Marne,  neared  Chateau- Thierry;  and  a  full 
moon  was  mounting  into  the  sky  as  the  head  of  that  col- 
umn cleared  Essomes  and  found  its  way  through  the 
debris-strewn  streets  of  the  city  whose  name  was  in  every 
newspaper  headhne  at  that  time. 

It  was  Chateau- Thierry  at  last! 

German  guns,  raining  shells  at  intervals,  let  it  be 
known  that  in  the  midst  of  even  temporary  reveries 
there  was  an  enemy — and  he  wasn't  far  away.  Weird 
flares  dispelled  the  gathering  darkness  now  and  then, 
great  guns  resounded,  and  shells  exploded  and  crashed 
like  a  dozen  box  cars  in  collision  as  the  column  kept  up 
its  creeping  pace  through  the  historic  Marne  River  city. 
Through  every  doughboy's  mind,  as  the  thin,  straggly 
line  of  heavy-laden  soldiers  moved  forward,  there  was 
but  one  thought: 

"  We're  at  Chateau-Thierry!  I  wonder  if  the  '  folks 
at  home  '  know  we  are  here!  " 

Then  came  the  cry  of  "  Gas!"     Down  the  line  it 

136 


CHATEAU-THIERRY  AND  NORTH  137 

went  like  wildfire;  somebody  called  "  double  time,"  and 
doughboys,  getting  into  the  fast  pace,  despite  the  weari- 
some hike  and  heavy  equipment,  jerked  on  their  gas 
masks  and  hustled  up  the  avenue.  Shrapnel  burst  over- 
head and  shells  were  ahghting  near  the  river  bank;  the 
*'  cloud-creasing  "  was  on,  and  American  artillery  was 
keeping  up  a  concert  of  shell-throwing  in  answer. 

Three  or  four  miles  out  along  the  road  the  wagon 
train  was  pulhng  along,  but  more  slowly.  Two  mules 
had  fallen  by  the  roadside,  exhausted  by  the  long  pull. 

Most  of  the  office  boys  were  traveling  with  the  wagon 
train  that  night;  I  was  tired  out  by  the  long  push  and 
heavy  pack,  and  fell  by  the  side  of  the  road  to  rest  for 
a  few  minutes  when  the  train  halted  for  a  half  hour.  I 
didn't  know  I  was  so  tired  that  I  could  fall  asleep  and 
keep  on  slumbering  while  the  wagon  train  pulled  out — 
but  that  is  what  happened.  Then,  at  12  that  night,  I 
awoke;  the  town  and  the  whole  highway  was  deserted. 
The  artillery  pounding  still  continued  and  the  flashes 
ghastly  outlined  the  hills  to  the  east  and  northeast.  My 
rifle  was  on  the  wagon,  where  I  had  put  it  as  I  dropped 
out — and  so,  with  not  a  person  in  sight,  I  started  down 
the  highway.  In  twenty  minutes  I  was  lost  in  a  gas- 
infested  town,  dead  horses  and  dead  men  lying  on  the 
roadside  and  about  the  slopes.  By  some  chance  I  stum- 
bled back  onto  the  main  road  again  and  a  half  hour's 
tramp  brought  me  into  the  outskirts  of  Essomes — Es- 
somes,  with  its  wrecked  city  building,  battered  church, 
torn-up  street-car  hne  and  shell-hit  trolley  cars. 


138  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Essomes,  in  its  palmier  days  two  months  before,  had 
been  a  beautiful  little  town;  it  was  evident  from  what 
was  left  of  the  houses  and  their  furnishings  that  a  well- 
to-do  class  of  French  people  resided  there;  now  it  was 
little  more  than  a  shambles.  A  French  and  American 
cemetery  at  the  south  end  of  the  city  greeted  the  boys 
when  they  went  through.  It  was  at  Essomes  that  I 
caught  up  with  the  wagon  train,  halting  there  for  the 
night.  Clyde  Davis,  the  regimental  mail  sergeant,  and 
I  slept  under  white  sheets  which  we  had  picked  up  from 
the  roadside,  and  which  had  evidently  been  dropped 
from  one  of  the  houses  before  the  Huns  departed. 

We  were  so  tired  that  the  pounding  of  the  guns, 
north  of  Chateau-Thierry,  did  not  disturb  us.  Some 
shells  were  falling  two  or  three  hundred  yards  away,  but 
they  were  all  on  the  south  side  of  the  highway,  between 
it  and  the  Marne.  It  was  7  when  we  were  up  the  next 
morning,  and  by  8  we  were  on  our  way  again. 

We  inspected  some  of  the  houses  in  Essomes  before 
we  left,  and  the  devastation  wrought  by  the  retreating 
Germans  was  not  in  the  least  exaggerated  by  stories  that 
have  gone  back  regarding  crimes  to  property  perpe- 
trated in  the  Chateau-Thierry  district;  in  some  cases  the 
descriptions  of  wanton  destruction  have  been  too  mild. 

Miles  Shoup,  "  Chad  "  Wike,  Lester  Swartz  and  I 
were  with  the  Headquarters  cookers  at  the  front  of  the 
long  lumbering  wagon  train,  and  as  we  left  Essomes 
we  saw  the  railroad  bridge  over  the  Marne  that  had  been 
destroyed  during  the  heavy  fire.    Some  Americans,  mem- 


CHATEAU-THIERRY  AND  NORTH  139 

bers  of  our  own  division,  still  lay  unburied  in  the  broad 
field  between  the  road  and  the  river;  others  had  been 
given  a  hurried  burial,  it  was  evident  from  the  odor,  not 
far  from  the  highway. 

We  had  not  progressed  a  hundred  yards  through 
Chateau- Thierry  until  we  saw  thi'ee  German  prisoners, 
who  had  been  caught  by  American  soldiers  that  morn- 
ing, hiding  in  the  cellars.  One  was  an  officer.  We 
stopped  near  the  town  square  for  a  brief  rest;  German 
potato-mashers  lay  all  around,  many  of  them  unex- 
ploded,  and  it  seemed  certain  that  the  Huns  fled  in  a 
hurry. 

Just  as  the  water  cart  and  cookers  started  over  the 
crest  of  the  hill,  as  we  left  the  town  itself,  the  Germans 
got  our  range  and  opened  on  us  with  their  guns.  The 
shells  whistled  over  our  heads,  crashing  into  the  ravine 
below,  but  each  shot  was  nearer;  finally  deciding  that 
such  an  exposed  place  as  the  summit  of  a  hill  was  not  a 
good  point  to  argue,  we  hustled  down  the  slope,  the  shells 
still  crashing  overhead  and  following  us  for  a  way.  It 
was  here  we  passed  the  body  of  a  Company  A  boy,  a 
young  corporal,  who  had  been  killed  when  one  of  the 
German  shells  exploded  the  evening  of  July  21st  as  the 
leading  element  of  our  colimin  went  through  the  town. 
Several  others  were  wounded,  and  the  bloody  packs  and 
possessions  lay  strewn  about ;  a  blanket  covered  the  dead 
boy's  body. 

A  half  hour  later  our  train  succeeded  in  making  the 
crest  of  the  hill,  rounding  a  mired  auto  truck  which  had 


140  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

also  been  shell-hit,  and  soon  we  were  in  Brasles,  crossed  a 
bridge  hastily  constructed  by  the  engineers  and  saw,  for 
the  first  time,  what  a  field  hospital  was  like.  There,  in  a 
grove,  were  scores  of  wounded  American  soldier  boys — 
some  hit  in  the  arm,  others  in  the  leg,  a  few  cut  about  the 
head ;  on  one  cot  a  boy  was  breathing  his  last  and  the  doc- 
tor was  writing  his  last  message.  Then  up  the  jammed 
roadway  we  went ;  machine  gun  carts,  wagons,  marching 
men — all  these  were  crowded  in  the  httle  woodland  road- 
way that  ran  north  of  Brasles.  A  mile  up  we  found  our 
headquarters,  an  old  tumble-down  barn  on  the  western 
edge  of  the  Bois  de  Barbillon;  across  the  street,  in  the 
old  Brasles  Chateau,  was  Brigade.  Their  quarters  were 
a  Httle  better. 

The  first  detail  that  was  sent  out  was  heavily  armed, 
and  it  was  their  duty  to  search  the  caves  and  trenches  on 
the  hillsides  for  Germans.  Splendid  dugouts  were  found 
and  plenty  of  German  souvenirs,  but  aU  the  Germans 
had  fled  with  the  main  army  in  retreat.  The  only  ones 
who  were  behind  were  dead  ones. 

One  doughboy's  letter,  written  at  this  time,  throws 
additional  light  on  the  situation  in  Essomes,  Chateau- 
Thierry  and  about  Brasles.  The  first  part,  written 
under  date  of  "  July  22d,  8  a.m.,"  reads : 

We  are  in  a  shell-wrecked  town  on  our  way  to  the  front 
(Essomes).  We  arrived  here  shortly  after  midnight  when  the  Huns 
let  up  enough  on  shelling  the  main  road  to  allow  us  to  pass.  There 
were  many  gas  shells  and  plenty  of  gassed  houses  and  craters,  but 
the  fact  that  we  kept  on  the  move  and  used  our  masks  helped  a  great 


CHATEAU-THIERRY  AND  NORTH  141 

deal.  So  we  all  came  through — this  wagon  train  of  ours — in.  splen- 
did shape. 

Everything  in  this  lovely  little  town  has  been  blasted  to  pieces. 
The  street  railway  track  through  the  town,  though  embedded  in  the 
cement  roadway,  has  been  shattered  and  twisted;  there  are  many 
holes.  Trolley  cars  are  complete  wrecks.  Beautiful  homes  are  mere 
shambles,  not  a  window  is  intact.  Telephone  poles  and  wires  are 
awry,  and  the  whole  place  looks  like  a  sieve;  in  fact,  besides  being 
blasted,  peppered  and  gassed,  it  looks  as  though  several  earthquakes 
had  combined  to  tear  the  houses  apart. 

As  we  marched  through  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  mercilessly 
sacked  and  wrecked,  a  pale  moon  gleamed  ghastly  through  blasted 
ribs  of  rafters  of  the  once-magnificent  church — a  picture  so  im- 
pressive that  I  cannot  soon  forget  it.  A  soldier  cemetery,  indicating 
the  recent  burial  of  honored  dead,  was  the  grim  welcomer  as  the 
train  of  supplies  creaked  and  crept  down  that  avenue  of  devastation. 
It  was  one  of  our  first  glimpses  that  proved  true  much  we  have  read. 
And  here  we  were,  on  July  21st  and  22d,  on  historic  ground. 

That  afternoon,  penning  a  few  more  lines  to  the  let- 
ter, the  same  doughboy  wrote  of  Chateau- Thierry  and 
Brasles,  and  of  the  temporary  location  in  the  Bois  de 
Barbillon : 

We  spread  out,  so  that  if  a  shell  hit  the  road,  casualties  would 
be  fewer.  The  new  place  (Chateau-Thierry  and  Brasles)  reached, 
we  found  devastation  more  complete  than  in  Essomes.  Vivid  war 
pictures,  hurried  flight  of  the  enemy,  fierce  shellfire  on  both  sides — 
these  evidences  were  presented  by  the  appearance  of  the  streets, 
houses,  and  the  aspect  of  every  field.  Slowly  and  carefully,  but 
getting  used  to  the  open  danger  from  shellfire,  we  made  our  way  to 
the  position,  foimd  our  place  in  an  old  barn  several  times  hit  by 
shells,  and  made  ourselves  comfortable — as  much  as  a  cold  cement 
floor  and  stale  straw  would  permit.  The  sun  was  immercifully  hot, 
and  the  road  was  choked  and  confused  with  many  troops,  wagon 


142  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

trains  and  the  general  rush  to  keep  up  with  Jerry — all  offering  a 
good  target  had  his  aeroplanes  been  around. 

On  our  way  soon  again,  that's  the  word  now;  but  the  Hun  is 
fleeing,  and  so  we  don't  mind.  One  meal  in  twenty-four  hours 
looked  good  to  us  to-night;  this  morning  I  was  lucky  enough  to  get 
a  cup  of  coffee  just  before  one  outfit's  rolling  kitchen  started  "  up 
the  line." 

Would  that  I  could  tell  you  all,  let  you  know  that  we  are  in 
the  midst  of  big  things,  and  our  boys  are  doing  their  full  share; 
that  is  all  I  can  say  now,  but  some  day  you  will  know  the  whole 
brave  story,  and  of  our  lorry  ride  and  march  of  these  last  few 
momentous  days — and  more  are  ahead,  I  guess. 

A  prediction,  which  the  weeks  to  follow  disclosed, 
that  was  not  far  from  the  truth. 

In  a  cold  driving  rain,  and  with  the  night  so  dark 
that  only  a  snail's  pace  was  possible,  the  regiment  was  on 
its  way  again,  the  start  being  made  at  1.30  a.m.  At 
Brasles,  in  the  shelter  of  shell-torn  buildings,  the  ad- 
vance detachment  waited  three  hours  for  the  wagon 
train,  and  then  finally  pulled  out  by  itself,  in  advance  of 
the  column.  The  march  was  through  Chateau- Thierry, 
via  the  pictm-esque  boulevard  along  the  Marne,  provid- 
ing a  more  picturesque  setting  and  a  hike  not  quite  so 
hazardous  as  that  of  the  night  of  the  21st  and  the  morn- 
ing  of  the  22d. 

Shells  were  not  crashing  into  our  ranks  again,  and 
so  we  marched  through  the  city  with  utmost  confidence, 
heads  turning  this  way  and  that  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the 
historic  city,  its  buildings  and  its  streets.  Once  well- 
furnished  and  well-stocked  stores  had  been  ruined  by 
shell  and  machine  gun  fire,  and  stocks  demolished  by  the 


CHATEAU-THIERRY  AND  NORTH  143 

vandals  who  had  evacuated  the  city  on  the  morning  of 
July  21st.  This  was  only  the  23d,  and  here  we  were, 
retracing  our  steps  through  the  town  with  as  much  of 
that  at-home  feeling  as  though  we  had  lived  along  the 
Marne  close  to  the  damaged  La  Fontaine  monument  for 
years.  Halting  at  the  blasted  bridge  across  the  Marne, 
scene  of  the  encounter  between  the  7th  Machine  Gun 
Battalion  of  the  3d  Division  and  the  Hun,  we  took  a 
closer  survey  of  the  situation.  A  machine-gun  emplace- 
ment erected  by  the  Germans  in  the  center  of  the  street, 
though  badly  damaged,  still  remained. 

At  a  half-demolished  hat  store,  whose  stock  was 
strewn  about,  the  doughboys  made  a  friendly  raid,  ap- 
propriating black  derbies  and  felt  hats,  not  to  omit  men- 
tion of  some  silk  tiles;  and  as  this  cosmopolitan-looking 
colunm  moved  up  the  main  thoroughfare,  then  trudged 
and  puffed  up  the  long  hill  that  had  to  be  climbed  in 
order  to  get  out  of  the  city  from  the  north,  other  troops 
gave  them  the  merry  laugh.  It  only  went  to  prove  that 
even  in  Chateau-Thierry  the  doughboy  could  smile  and 
joke  and  feel  light-hearted;  and  despite  the  severity  of 
the  hike,  every  youngster  in  that  advance  party  was  in 
splendid  fettle  and  good  spirits  that  day. 

The  first  halt  was  made  at  the  railroad  bridge,  and  the 
next  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  not  far  from  a  fallen  aero- 
plane. Daylight  had  come,  but  there  was  no  sign  of 
clearing.  It  was  raining  again,  and  most  of  us  were  then 
soaked  through,  slickers  offering  but  little  protection  on 
such  a  hike. 


144  WITH^THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Another  hour  of  hiking  brought  us  to  an  open  steel 
barn,  where  a  Major  of  the  26th  Division  told  the  party 
that  the  28th  was  now  fighting  with  the  Yankee  unit,  and 
that  our  own  troops  were  to  go  no  farther  than  Etrepilly, 
several  kilos  beyond,  and  captured  in  the  sweep  forward 
by  the  New  England  Division  but  four  days  previous. 
For  two  hours  we  slept  in  wet  straw  in  the  rain,  maldng 
oui'selves  "  comfortable  as  possible."  By  11  o'clock  we 
were  on  the  move,  and  shortly  after  noon  all  units  of  the 
112th  were  in  camp  in  Etrepilly  woods,  with  the  Head- 
quarters established  in  what  had  formerly  been  a  splen- 
did little  home,  in  the  battered  town  itself. 

So  rapid  had  been  the  American  advance  that  all  the 
dead  had  not  yet  been  buried.  Bodies  of  several  Marines 
and  some  of  the  Yankee  Division  boys  who  had  fallen 
before  Hun  machine  gun  nests,  as  well  as  a  number  of 
dead  Germans,  lay  prone  in  the  woods,  fast  decaying  in 
the  heat  of  July  days.  The  sun  came  out  that  afternoon, 
and  was  welcome,  but  the  roads  and  fields  were  still 
muddy  when  the  column  fell  in  at  9  o'clock  that  night  and 
moved  off  once  more.  This  time  Epieds  and  the  district 
to  the  east  was  our  ultimate  destination. 

Through  some  error  we  marched  to  within  a  mile  of 
Chateau-Thierry,  then  returned  for  two  miles,  camped 
in  a  wood  and  had  breakfast — and  how  good  it  tasted  I 
Then  the  clothing  truck  pulled  up,  and  every  fellow  who 
got  near  made  a  raid  on  socks  and  underclothes  and  what- 
ever else  he  was  lucky  enough  to  secure ;  and  so,  before 
we  again  started  on  the  march  at  1  o'clock,  a  great  many 


CHATEAU-THIERRY  AND  NORTH  145 

of  the  boys  with  wet  clothes  had  effected  a  complete 
change.  By  that  time  the  Hun  guns  were  getting  our 
location  and  letting  shells  fall  several  hundred  yards 
away. 

Here,  under  the  date  of  July  24th,  the  little  book 
says: 

Then  we  began  the  march  to  Bezu  St.  Germaine  and  thence  to 
fipieds.  Through  this  country  we  found  plenty  of  evidence  of  the 
German  retreat.  Bezu  St.  Germaine  had  been  taken  only  a  short 
while  before,  and  Epieds,  after  changing  hands  several  times,  had 
that  morning  been  re-won  by  the  American  forces.  We  had  supper 
in  the  latter  town  at  6.30,  and  at  7.45  we  were  on  our  way  up  the 
slope,  under  shellfire. 

All  along  the  hne  of  march  that  day  it  needed  no 
second  look  to  satisfy  us  that  we  were  in  the  war  zone. 
A  dozen  observation  balloons  were  nearly  always  in 
sight,  hundreds  of  German  sheUs  of  all  sizes,  machine 
gun  strips,  dead  Germans,  the  stench  of  decaying  flesh, 
scattered  bodies  of  dead  Americans,  abandoned  equip- 
ment— these  were  the  earmarks  of  battle  and  a  German 
withdrawal.  One  of  our  runners,  catching  up  to  the 
column  on  his  bicycle,  reported  that  he  had  run  into  a 
section  of  the  retreating  German  line  that  morning  and 
had  some  hustle  in  getting  away ;  he  said  he  had  taken  the 
wrong  road,  and  all  the  Germans  had  not  yet  left  the 
woods  then  being  entered  by  the  American  forces. 

We  began  to  get  into  the  "  hell  of  things  "  at  Epieds. 
Another  division  was  going  along  the  same  highway  on 
which  we  had  stopped  for  supper;  shells  were  bursting 

10 


146  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

not  far  from  us,  and  as  we  started  up  the  slope  at  7.45, 
the  shells  alighted  nearer  and  nearer  all  the  time.  Every 
few  steps  we  "  ducked  ";  then  we  ran  on  for  a  couple 
of  yards — and  whizz  again!  Then  another  "duck" — 
and  a  resounding  bang  that  sent  shrapnel  going  every- 
where. A  mile  of  this  hill-climbing  and  "  ducking  "  of 
shells  brought  us  into  the  woods  east  of  Epieds,  where 
we  hastily  dug  in — dug  in  with  whatever  we  could  find. 
Some  few  shovels  were  available,  but  some  boys  had  to 
use  bayonets  and  other  makeshifts.  All  night  shells 
rained  through  that  woods ;  our  guns  banged  away,  too ; 
but  to  us,  at  that  time,  experiencing  the  first  terrors  of 
being  under  heavy  shellfire,  we  could  not  understand 
why  we  did  not  send  more  American  shells  into  Hun- 
land.  There  wasn't  much  sleep  that  night  of  July 
24th-25th. 

It  was  in  the  battle  of  the  next  day,  July  25th,  while 
the  1st  Battahon  was  under  heavy  shellfire  in  the  open 
near  Courpoil  that  Captain  James  M.  Henderson,  of 
Oil  City,  conunanding  Company  D,  was  instantly  killed. 
He  was  one  of  the  best  liked  and  one  of  the  most  efficient 
of  the  112th's  officers. 

Evidently  hearing  the  shell  coming,  he  dodged  for 
a  shellhole ;  but  the  Jerry  shrapnel  was  a  direct  hit.  Only 
one  leg  was  found,  and  the  fact  that  he  wore  a  new  pair 
of  shoes  helped  in  the  identification.  The  same  day 
Major  Charles  B.  Smathers,  in  command  of  the  1st 
Battalion,  was  in  the  advance  with  his  staff  and  was 
gassed,  but  his  case  did  not  prove  a  severe  one.    Several 


CHATEAU-THIERRY  AND  NORTH  147 

Company  G  men  were  killed  during  the  artillery  fire  of 
the  night. 

It  was  on  this  day,  the  25th,  that  the  Rainbow  Divi- 
sion moved  to  the  front  to  reheve  our  own  division ;  and 
we  stood  and  watched,  as  shellfire  permitted,  as  the  boj^s 
hustled  by.  That  night  a  fierce  air  battle  between  Ger- 
man planes  was  staged  over  the  woods  and  Epieds  itself, 
and  one  German  aviator,  after  bagging  an  American 
observation  balloon,  flew  so  low  that  officers  and  men 
were  able  to  fire  at  him — but  he  escaped  in  safety.  Even 
Colonel  Rickards  picked  up  a  rifle  and  shot  at  the  daring 
German. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  stories  came  back  from 
our  boys  in  the  front  line  that  women  were  being  used  by 
the  Germans  to  operate  some  of  the  Hun  machine  guns, 
and  that  even  women  were  playing  the  role  of  air-fighters. 

For  the  next  three  days  the  entire  regiment,  being 
relieved,  lived  in  the  mud  and  among  the  trenches  of  the 
Bois  de  Trugny,  some  two  kilos  south  of  Epieds  and 
about  600  yards  northeast  of  the  Breteuil  Ferme.  At  all 
hours  of  the  day  and  night  troops  were  going  toward 
the  front,  and  others  were  coming  back  for  a  brief  rest ; 
German  guns,  abandoned  in  the  retreat,  were  mired ;  and 
some  of  our  own  wagons  and  trains  had  a  hard  time  get- 
ting through. 

Here  in  the  Trugny  woods,  through  which  the  2Cth 
Division's  infantry  had  fought,  and  as  late  as  July  23d 
had  hurled  the  101st  Infantry  into  battle  through  the 


148  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

forest  fastnesses,  we  were  given  time  to  realize  in  a  small 
way  what  excitement  we  had  been  through  and  how  close 
to  the  enemy  our  own  outfit  had  been  within  the  past 
seventy-two  hours.  It  was  in  this  shell-infested  wood, 
with  hastily-constructed  trenches  running  this  way  and 
that  and  hundreds  of  Jeriy  shells  of  large  type  piled 
about,  that  we  began  to  realize  more  than  we  had  before 
that  the  old  regiment  was  well  into  the  game.  In  touch 
with  the  New  England  Division,  talking  to  men  of  the 
Rainbow  outfit,  and  conversing  with  other  National 
Guard  troops  thrown  into  the  fray  about  that  time,  it 
needed  no  second  glance  to  convince  that  things  were  on 
the  move.  There  was  a  steady  stream  of  Americans 
going  up  day  after  day ;  there  were  others  coming  back, 
those  who  had  been  relieved  for  a  little  while  at  least. 

Then  when  our  own  2d  Battalion  rejoined  us  in 
the  Bois  de  Trugny,  we  learned  from  the  lips  of  the 
pals  we  knew  so  well  of  the  brave  part  that  outfit 
had  played  in  the  mad  dash  with  the  26th  Division  to 
the  Red  Cross  Farm.  This  took  place  during  the 
foi-ty-eight-hour  period,  July  23d  to  25th.  Under  com- 
mand of  Captain  Lucius  M.  Phelps,  the  2d  Battalion 
was  detached  from  the  regiment  at  2  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  23d,  and  assigned  to  duty  with  the 
51st  Brigade,  26th  Division.  Without  delay  it  was 
given  the  task  of  taking  a  hill  covered  with  machine 
gun  nests.  A  battaHon  of  the  51st  Brigade  had  made  the 
attempt  the  previous  day,  without  success.  Similar  at- 
tacks failed.    When  the  2d  Battalion  of  the  112th  got 


CHATEAU-THIERRY  AND  NORTH  149 

into  action  at  7  that  morning,  the  rush  was  to  be  pre- 
ceded by  an  artillery  barrage,  but  this  was  called  off,  and 
the  attack  made  in  old-time  fashion.  Up  the  hill  they 
went,  with  all  the  dash  and  vigor  of  doughboys,  on  a 
perfect  summer's  day.  There  was  no  stopping.  Wave 
after  wave  of  small  combat  gi'oups  swept  up  the  hill; 
Companies  G  and  F  were  in  the  first,  and  E  and  H  were 
in  the  second.  The  immediate  objective  was  the  top  of 
the  hill;  and  this,  in  contrast  to  what  had  happened  the 
day  previous,  was  gained  without  great  opposition  from 
the  Boche. 

Then  came  orders  from  the  Brigade  Commander  to 
tackle  another  objective,  and  the  dash  continued.  This 
meant  a  forward  push  of  five  kilos  under  heavy  shell- 
fire — but  the  boys  forged  on,  undaunted.  Several  hours 
later  saw  them  at  the  second  objective,  having  covered 
seven  kilos  in  the  battle-field  up  until  that  time. 

Then  there  came  additional  orders — the  Red  Cross 
Farm  near  Vente  Jean  Guillaume,  German-lield,  was 
blocking  the  way  north  to  Fere-en-Tardenois.  Fere  was 
five  miles  away,  but  at  that  stage  of  the  battle  north  of 
Chateau- Thierry,  the  Germans  still  held  it  and  the  dis- 
trict to  the  south,  as  far  as  the  Red  Cross  Farm,  in  force. 
When  the  orders  arrived  for  the  new  attack  it  was  re- 
ported the  Red  Cross  Farm  had  been  evacuated.  Com- 
panies F,  G  and  H  were  sent  out  to  advance  positions  and 
dug  in.  Company  E  was  held  in  support.  Meanwhile, 
the  Germans  were  letting  our  fellows  have  it  with  shell- 
fire  and  machine-gun  bursts ;  all  night  the  fusillade  kept 


150  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

up  and  the  German  barrage  swept  the  positions  of  the 
companies  composing  the  battahon.  One  Lieutenant, 
Harold  D.  Speakman,  of  Company  E,  and  three  men 
were  killed,  a  number  were  wounded  and  some  gassed — 
but  the  battahon  had  estabhshed  a  record  of  covering 
more  than  seven  kilos  from  the  "  jmnp-off  "  in  a  single 
day,  a  record  of  which  any  unit  might  well  be  proud. 

At  5  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  25th,  after  hav- 
ing been  subjected  to  an  unrelenting  hail  of  shells  all 
morning,  the  relief  came,  and  the  167th  Infantry  of  the 
Rainbow  Division  took  up  the  positions  south  of  the 
Red  Cross  Farm.  For  three  days  the  men  had  been 
going  without  cooked  rations,  having  only  the  iron  ra- 
tions in  their  haversacks  to  depend  upon;  and  many  of 
the  boj^s,  in  the  rush  after  the  Hun,  had  thrown  away 
all  equipment  except  rifle  and  pistol  ammunition,  trench 
knives  and  shovels. 

Even  the  mud  and  rain  of  the  Bois  de  Truguy,  ex- 
posed only  to  occasional  shellfire,  seemed  like  a  real  rest 
camp  to  the  fellows  who  had  taken  part  in  the  strenuous 
dash.  I  can  well  remember  the  morning  that  I  saw  John 
Ross,  with  all  equipment  gone,  standing  in  the  rain  and 
remarking  that  he  was  "  getting  along  all  right,"  and 
relating  the  details  of  the  push. 

Time  hung  hea\y  those  three  wet  days  in  Trugny 
wood,  and  pup-tents  do  not  always  shed  the  water.  Yet 
after  those  first  shock  days  in  the  line,  a  rest  even  under 
such  miserable  conditions,  and  in  such  mud,  was  welcome. 
Though  it  may  be  hard  to  summarize  a  doughboy's  feel- 


CHATEAU-THIERRY  AND  NORTH  151 

ings  just  then,  perhaps  the  following  paragraphs  of  a 
letter  written  in  Trugny  woods  will  help  convey  the 
right  impression. 

Deep  in  the  Woods,  Somewhere  in  France, 

Friday,  July  26,  1918. 

We've  been  to  hell  and  back  since  I  last  wrote — to  where  men 
kill  and  slay  and  die,  and  perish  under  a  withering  fire ;  where  there 
is  notliing  of  hope  and  no  soimd  more  pleasant  than  bursting  shrap- 
nel, cries  of  "  Gas !  "  and  the  rat-tat-tat  of  the  machine  gun.  Lying 
crouched  in  a  slit  in  the  ground  barely  deep  enough  to  permit  my 
body  to  rest  below  the  surface  of  the  road,  I  spent  the  night  of  the 
24th— 25th  in  a  wood  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  German  lines.  That 
morning  German  machine  gunners  had  whipped  things  to  pieces 
with  their  devilish  machinery;  that  same  night  our  boys  were  in  the 
line,  giving  hell  for  hell. 

I  said  a  little  prayer  as  that  shrapnel  kept  bursting.  Three 
BheUs  fell  within  six  feet  of  each  other  just  on  the  other  side  of  the 
road.  I  grabbed  my  little  Testament,  the  one  you  gave  me  years 
now  gone,  and  read — John  14:  1,  "  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled; 
believe  in  God,  believe  also  in  Me."  Was  I  afraid?  There  is  only 
one  answer — a  man  who  prays  and  fights,  and  keeps  up  the  game 
spirit  of  an  American  soldier  cannot  afford  to  fear  the  outcome^  he 
just  prays  for  more  courag\e,  and  it  comes — comes  with  that  grim 
determination  of  getting  the  Hun. 

If  you  could  picture  what  our  brave  fellows  have  seen,  what 
they  have  done,  how  they  have  marched  and  bivouacked,  tramped  and 
entrenched — yes,  and  fought — since  July  4th — ^with  that  damnable 
fire  of  artillery  to  contend  with  during  the  last  week,  you  would 
know  that  every  one  of  them  is  a  hero  deserving  of  warmest  praise. 
Night  after  night  we  have  moved;  by  day,  we  kept  under  cover — 
silent,  swiftly  marching  columns  of  men ;  lumbering,  creaking  wagon 
trains;  dodging  shell-pitted  roads,  pushing  through  brush — but 
always  on  and  on.  Since  Saturday  last,  the  20th,  we  have  been  on 
the  trail  of  the  retreating  Hun. 


152  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

The  night  of  the  24th  at  6  o'clock  we  entered  ]£pieds,  which 
had  been  recaptured  in  a  short  but  bloody  fight  early  in  the  morning. 
Two  hours  later  we  were  caught  in  some  of  Jerry's  shellfire  as  we 
ascended  the  hill.  German  signs,  German  shells,  clothing,  equip- 
ment, rifles  and  machine  guns  littered  the  road,  showing  the  hasti- 
ness of  retreat.  In  some  places  Hun  dead  lay  unburied,  and  the 
stench  of  hmnan  flesh  decaying  beneath  a  warm  sun  was  just  part 
of  war's  hell,  that's  all. 

Then  that  night  there  was  no  jesting.  Fellows  knew  it  was  an 
even  chance.  Helpless  we  lay  as  those  shells  whistled,  then  stopped 
short  and  burst  with  a  resounding  crash;  hopeful  we  were  that  they 
would  miss  us  all;  and  the  God  of  Battles  was  merciful  to  us  that 
night.  A  man  in  the  Supply  Company  was  killed;  that  is  the  only 
casualty  outside  of  the  companies  actually  in  the  line  of  which  I 
heard.  Never  can  you  picture  in  the  quietude  of  security,  and  even 
in  a  wood  like  this,  some  three  or  four  miles  behind  the  lines  and 
which  was  taken  from  the  Teutons  on  the  23d,  the  feelings  of  a  man 
as  he  nears  the  line  and  is  subjected  to  heavy  fire. 

Some  of  our  boys  have  fallen.  Naturally,  a  grim  war  that 
knows  nothing  but  the  quick  and  the  dead  must  take  its  toll.  Would 
to  God  it  could  be  otherwise !  But  we  are  here,  safe  to-day,  and 
trusting  for  the  morrow. 

Clothes  worn  out  in  the  last  three  weeks*  campaigning  and 
wear-and-tear  have  been  replaced.  To-day  I  have  new  shoes, 
trousers,  slicker,  shirt,  underclothes,  heavy  socks,  wrap  leggings 
and  an  overseas  cap — all  new  and  clean,  and  fine,  and  so  life  seems 
all  the  more  cheerful.    We  are  relieved  for  a  little  while. 

We  marched  by  night  yesterday,  returning  from  the  front  line; 
we  got  here  at  1.20  a.m.  in  this  wood  of  ghosts  and  desolation;  at 
1.30  I  was  sound  asleep  and  only  a  heavy  fall  of  rain  at  9  o'clock 
woke  me  up.  For  two  days  I  have  been  digging  shelters — every- 
body has;  and  so  we  are  all  soldiers  now.  I  carry  a  shovel  as  part 
equipment  and  am  glad  to  do  it.    It  and  my  gun  are  pals. 

That  was  the  game  when  the  morale  and  fighting 
strength  of  our  division  was  undergoing  its  severe  test. 


CHATEAU-THIERRY  AND  NORTH  153 

On  Sunday,  the  28th,  the  long  winding  column  of 
doughboys,  plowing  through  the  mud  and  fields,  tramped 
from  Trugny  into  position  in  the  Foret  de  Fere,  in  that 
corner  known  as  Vente  Jean  Guillaume.  That  evening, 
as  we  carelessly  crossed  the  big  open  field  to  the  Red 
Cross  Farm  to  fill  our  canteens,  wounded  were  coming 
back  from  Fere-en-Tardenois ;  the  battle  was  going  at 
full  tilt  there,  and  some  shells  were  even  dropping  near 
us.  Three  or  four  Germans  lay  unburied  in  the  broad 
field.  Not  far  away  I  picked  up  a  packet  of  letters — 
they  were  addressed  to  an  officer  of  the  167th  Division, 
one  of  the  Rainbow  Division  men  who  had  fallen  in  the 
rush  that  took  the  Red  Cross  Farm  and  swept  the  Hun 
machine  gun  nests  away.  It  was  evident  that  the  Yanks 
had  taken  the  Red  Cross  Farm  soon  after  the  dash  of 
our  2d  Battalion,  but  had  paid  something  for  it  in  the 
lives  of  the  brave  Americans  who  assailed  it. 

Here,  with  the  battle  going  on  at  Fere,  five  miles  to 
the  north,  and  at  Le  Charmel  and  other  points  to  the  east 
and  northeast  of  us,  we  spent  a  "  quiet  "  week,  from  that 
Sunday  until  the  following  Saturday  evening,  Au- 
gust 3d. 

Pup-tents  and  dugouts  were  the  rule  in  Vente  Jean 
Guillaume;  during  the  daytime  men  were  cautioned  to 
keep  under  cover,  and  at  night  no  light  whatever  was 
permitted,  and  still  throughout  the  day  the  main  road 
a  half  kilo  west  of  us,  running  from  Jaulgonne  to  Fere, 
was  a  great  artery  of  traffic,  trucks  and  motorcycles 


154  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

kicking  up  dust  clouds  all  the  way ;  but  if  they  traveled  in 
daylight,  they  took  their  chance — and  they  did. 

With  a  German  ammunition  box  for  a  desk,  another 
for  a  seat,  and  still  another  for  a  waste-basket,  we  set  up 
our  office  in  front  of  a  pup-tent;  and  when  it  rained  we 
dragged  the  "  office  "  inside  and  wi'ote  orders  under  the 
most  crowded  conditions,  sitting  on  the  damp  ground, 
and  pounding  away  on  the  hard- worked  Corona  for  all  it 
was  worth.  It  was  worth  a  million  then,  for  it  stood  the 
gaff  well. 

The  112th  doughboys  who  spent  that  week  in  the 
edge  of  the  Foret  de  Fere  are  not  soon  to  forget  it,  even 
though  it  was  without  great  event.  No  entertainment  of 
any  kind  was  available  during  the  entire  time,  and  men 
grew  restless.  Water  was  scarce,  and  the  allowance  for 
one  man  each  day  was  a  canteenful.  On  that  he  drank, 
washed  and  shaved  now  and  then ;  under  such  conditions 
as  these,  despite  occasional  inclement  weather,  the  morale 
of  the  regiment  surely  was  master  of  the  occasion  and 
a  thing  to  be  admired. 

And  in  the  light  of  events  that  were  to  follow,  with 
the  death  of  some  of  the  boys  in  the  advance  to  the  Vesle 
River,  one  is  not  apt  to  overlook  the  appeal  and  signifi- 
cance of  two  stirring  semi-religious  meetings  held  by 
Chaplain  Mann  and  Rev.  Wilson,  of  Reno,  Nev.,  the 
latter  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  service,  on  the  evening  of  July 
31st.  It  was  Wednesday — "prayer-meeting"  night; 
but  it  wasn't  a  mere  prayer-meeting  crowd  that  at- 
tended.   Every  doughboy  who  possibly  could  get  away 


CHATEAU-THIERRY  AND  NORTH  155 

from  his  routine  duties  was  on  hand.  Rough-looking, 
clean-cut,  burly-built,  husky,  devil-may-care  fellows; 
they  all  were  there.  Officers  helped  out  in  the  singing, 
with  only  one  crumpled  song  book  available  for  a  crowd 
of  several  hundred.  A  top  sergeant  got  up  and  pro- 
claimed that  he  had  cut  out  swearing  (a  record  for  any 
sergeant  in  "  this  man's  army  ")  and  he  called  upon  the 
men  of  his  own  outfit  to  see  the  game  through  to  a  finish. 
Prosaic  as  this  mere  description  may  sound,  it  had  the 
punch.    Each  man  arose  and  gave  his  promise. 

Those  fellows  sang  such  selections  as  "  Keep  the 
Home  Fires  Burning,"  '*  God  WiU  Take  Care  of  You," 
"  Rock  of  Ages,"  "  Jesus,  Lover  of  My  Soul "  and 
others.  About  the  time  the  chorus  of  the  first  was 
reached,  Jerry  shells  began  whisthng  and  creasing  the 
clouds  overhead ;  but  those  fellows  sang  on  just  the  same. 
There  were  many  fellows  there  I  knew,  and  two  weeks 
later  the  game  of  war  had  sent  some  of  them  into  No 
Man's  Land  for  the  last  time;  others  had  been  serit  to 
the  rear  with  bits  of  shell  in  arms  and  legs;  and  still 
others  were  playing  the  game  with  the  rest  of  the  dough- 
boys. Some  little  Massachusetts  soldier,  himself  bumped 
off  by  a  shell,  wi'ote  in  a  letter  that  was  picked  up  by  one 
of  our  boj^s:  "  You  can  tell  the  folks  that  more  fellows 
are  converted  over  here  by  shellfire  than  ever  hit  Billy 
Sunday's  sawdust  trail." 

He  said  a  great  deal;  and  days  aftenvard,  noticing 
the  change  that  came  over  men  who  had  been  into  the 
thick  of  things,  one  could  easily  see  there  was  a  great 


156  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

truth  in  the  little  Yankee's  statement.  I  wish  I  had 
known  that  youngster's  name ;  I'd  like  to  have  written  his 
parents  an  appreciation  of  the  effect  that  one  bit  of 
news  had  upon  the  boys  there  at  Vente  Jean  Guillaume. 
The  following  day  Colonel  Rickards  personally  dic- 
tated a  lettter  to  the  enhsted  men  of  the  regiment,  copies 
of  which  were  sent  to  each  company,  commenting  on  the 
situation  within  the  woods  and  urging  the  cooperation  of 
men  and  officers  alike  to  maintain  the  high  standard  of 
discipline  for  which  the  organization  had  been  noted. 
That  memorandum,  entitled  '*  Personal  Appearance 
and  Conduct,  and  Care  of  Equipment,"  and  addressed 
to  the  "  Enlisted  Men  of  the  112th  Infantry,"  follows: 

Nothing  so  marks  the  true  soldier  as  his  personal  appearance 
and  military  bearingv  It  is  a  small  matter  for  everyone  to  retain 
neat  and  clean  appearance  in  camp  and  barracks,  but  the  real  test 
comes  under  such  trying  circumstances  as  we  are  now  experiencing. 
The  lack  of  all  conveniences  and  scarcity  of  water  call  upon  the 
superior  senses,  and  the  one  who  may  overcome  these  obstacles  dem- 
onstrates his  ability  to  face  all  conditions  and  proves  him  a  true 
soldier. 

One  hour  each  morning  has  been  set  aside,  to  be  devoted  by  the 
individual  to  the  proper  care  of  his  person  and  clothing.  Advantage 
will  be  taken  of  this  period  to  shave,  brush  the  clothing,  clean  shoes 
and  air  bedding.  Another  period,  from  2  to  3  o'clock,  is  given  over 
to  the  care  of  arms  and  equipment,  and  must  be  fully  employed  for 
this  purpose. 

Sanitation  is  of  more  than  usual  importance  while  bivouacked 
in  woods,  as  we  now  are,  and  the  closest  attention  must  be  given  it, 
to  preserve  health  and  strength.  On  the  efforts  of  each  individual 
depends  the  health  of  the  men,  and  the  carelessness  of  one  man  may 
be  the  cause  of  infection  of  hundreds. 


CHItEAU-THIERRY  and  north  157 

The  Commanding  Officer  has  faith  in  the  enlisted  personnel 
of  the  112th  to  meet  all  conditions  in  which  they  may  be  thrown. 
He  asks  that  each  one  consider  himself  as  an  indispensable  part  of 
the  organization,  that  by  keeping  a  cheerful  spirit,  giving  close 
attention  to  all  his  duties,  hygiene,  sanitation,  military  courtesies, 
soldierly  decorum  and  bearing,  the  regiment  may  enjoy  an  honor- 
able place  in  the  Keystone  Division,  whose  training  and  fitness  we 
have  all  worked  so  hard  to  attain,  and  which  as  an  organization  is 
among  the  best  in  the  service.  We  have  a  big  part  to  play  in  the 
maintenance  of  efficiency,  and  none,  from  private  to  Colonel,  can 
afford  to  neglect  any  opportunity  that  may  tend  to  better  it. 


CHAPTER  XI 

INTO  ACTION  ALONG  THE  VESLE 

Standing  Five  Hours  in  a  Cold  Rain  at  Chamery 
— Relieving  the  32nd  Division  on  the  Vesle — ^Third 
Battalion  First  to  Cross  the  Stream  at  Grand  Savart — 
Into  Fismette  Later — "Rest  Days"  at  Dravegny. 

With  the  fall  of  Fere-en-Tardenois,  the  great  Hun 
base  midway  between  the  Marne  and  the  Vesle,  orders 
came  in  a  twinkling  for  the  28th  Division  to  take  up  the 
pursuit.  At  5  o'clock  Saturday  evening,  August  3d, 
Colonel  Rickards  called  the  battalion  commanders  in  hur- 
ried conference,  and  gave  out  the  verbal  instructions  for 
the  new  movement  north;  at  5.20  enlisted  men  were 
gulping  do\\ai  their  last  mess  in  Vente  Jean  Guillaume; 
at  5.50  the  head  of  the  column  was  swinging  its  way  over 
the  open  field  to  the  Jaulgonne-Fere-en-Tardenois  high- 
way within  sight  of  the  Red  Cross  Farm,  scene  of  the 
bloody  battle  of  ten  days  past. 

Red  Cross  workers  at  the  Farm  passed  out  chocolate 
and  tobacco  as  the  doughboys  trudged  north  again,  just 
as  in  Chateau- Thierry  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  night  we 
passed  through,  had  proved  it  was  on  the  job.  It  was 
a  march  of  twelve  miles  that  night  over  roads  ankle-deep 
with  mud,  through  woods  filled  with  gas,  shells  and  de- 
caying horse-flesh,  not  to  omit  mention  of  some  Huns 
that  had  not  yet  been  given  burial.  It  was  the  rough- 
est hike  the  regiment  had  undertaken  up  until  that  time. 

158 


INTO  ACTION  ALONG  THE  VESLE  159 

Roads  became  jammed  early  in  the  evening,  and 
often  two  lines  of  infantry  were  proceeding  in  the  same 
direction,  becoming  confused  when  a  long  truck  train 
intervened.  The  route  after  Jerry  was  via  Fresnes, 
Courmont,  Cierges,  Chamery,  Coulonges,  Cohan  and 
Dravegny  for  the  112th  Regiment;  but  when  the  Head- 
quarters Company  and  the  1st  Battalion  got  separated 
from  the  other  regimental  units  in  the  jam  and  rain  and 
darkness  of  the  night,  that  part  of  the  column  came  to 
a  standstill  at  1.30  in  the  morning,  just  outside  of 
Chamery,  the  little  town  in  which  Quentin  Roosevelt 
was  buried.  At  that  time  the  rain  was  so  heavy  that 
half  of  the  devastated  village  was  under  water,  and  in 
places  the  boys  waded  tlirough  temporary  ponds  up  to 
their  knees. 

For  five  hours  we  stood  in  the  coldest  rain  I  have  ev^er 
known,  packs  seemingly  weighing  a  ton,  and  water- 
soaked;  slickers  proving  little  better  than  a  rag;  our 
clothes  and  shoes  wet  to  the  skin;  not  a  shelter  nearer 
than  Chamery  and  its  blown-to-bits  buildings — and  not 
an  officer,  sad  to  relate,  who  had  the  initiative  at  that  time 
to  order  the  column  to  retrace  its  steps  for  a  short  dis- 
tance, and  seek  what  shelter  it  could  find  in  shell-hit 
buildings.  As  it  was,  that  shivering  column  of  men,  with 
few  exceptions,  stood  in  the  mud  and  water  with  the 
rain  beating  in  their  faces,  for  five  soHd  hours.  Then, 
long  after  daylight  came,  when  it  was  definitely  estab- 
lished that  the  remainder  of  the  regiment  had  moved  on 
to  Dravegny,  the  battalion  and  the  Headquarters  Com- 


160  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

pany  crept  back  into  Chamery  at  6.30,  filtered  into  build- 
ings here  and  there,  built  fires  indoors  or  outside  under 
bam  roofs,  and  the  men  sought  to  dry  their  clothes  and 
snatch  some  sleep  at  the  same  time.  At  11  we  ate  some- 
thing that  the  kitchen  had  to  offer — warm  slum,  bread 
and  steaming  coffee — the  best  old  meal  we  had  struck  in 
many  a  day,  it  seemed! 

That  same  afternoon  (August  4th — and  it  was  Sun- 
day, too),  refreshed  by  a  few  hours'  sleep,  and  our 
clothes  rapidly  drying  in  the  warm  sun  that  chased  the 
rain  clouds  away,  we  were  on  the  march  again,  passing 
through  Cohan,  and  then  through  Dravegny,  ducking 
for  overhead  shells  as  we  marched  into  position  in  the 
woods  on  Hill  210,  northwest  of  Dravegny,  into  a  sec- 
tion of  the  Bois  Chenet.  There,  tired  out  from  a  night 
on  the  march,  and  wearied  by  the  additional  kilos  of  Sun- 
day afternoon,  the  men  of  the  last  contingent  to  get  into 
position  "  flopped  "  for  a  second  time  that  day  of  August 
4th.  In  mid-afternoon  General  Weigel,  commanding 
the  56th  Brigade,  arrived  with  orders  that  immediately 
sent  one  battalion,  the  second,  Companies  L  and  M,  two 
companies  of  the  109th  Machine  Gun  Battalion  and  one 
company  of  the  103d  Engineers  in  the  direction  of  Mont 
St.  Martin,  with  the  P.  C.  of  the  advance  guard  com- 
mander, Captain  Phelps,  at  Resson  Fme.  This  was 
the  56th's  advance  guard  in  the  thrust  north. 

Those  units  of  the  112th  which  remained  on  Hill  210 
that  night  rested,  slept  and  fed  up.  Kitchens  worked 
overtime  in  providing  a  substantial  menu  that  made  the 


INTO  ACTION  ALONG  THE  VESLE  161 

fellows  forget  for  a  little  time  at  least  the  hard  liike  just 
completed.  Anent  that  stay  overnight,  the  little  book 
records : 

A  sumptuous  supper  was  served  by  the  Headquarters  Com- 
pany at  8. SO,  and  it  surely  did  credit  to  the  organization.  We  fel- 
lows pitched  one  of  the  long,  or  double,  pup  tents,  and  then  slept 
like  tops. 

Paris  papers  arriving  to-night  told  of  the  8S00  Germans  that 
had  been  taken  in  the  rush  through  this  sector,  and  that  the  enemy's 
forces  were  back  to  the  Vesle  by  this  time. 

Surpassing  in  grandeur  even  the  view  from  Lookout  Point  at 
River  Ridge,  this  hill,  which  had  been  captured  from  the  Hun  only 
twenty-four  hours  before,  permitted  the  observer  to  see  15  to  18 
miles  in  any  direction.  It  reminded  many  a  soldier  boy  of  Lookout 
Mountain,  and  while  I  have  never  been  there,  I  can  readily  imagine 
that  the  comparison  was  truly  worth  while.  You  could  see  a  num- 
ber of  French  villages,  ones  through  which  we  had  passed  during 
the  night  and  the  afternoon,  and  these  were  nestled  in  one  of  the 
broad  valleys  to  our  left. 

We  slept  that  nigiht,  as  only  tired  soldiers  can  sleep;  the  big 
guns  were  farther  up  the  line,  but  even  the  noise  of  them  did  not 
prevent  us  from  catching  up  with  the  hours  of  rest  we  had  missed, 
and  it  was  after  8  o'clock  when  we  got  up  in  the  morning.  Then 
we  had  a  hearty  breakfast,  washed  and  shaved  on  a  half  canteen 
of  water,  and  felt  as  happy  as  a  youngster  who  had  a  new  suit  of 
clothes,  even  though  ours  were  still  covered  with  the  mud  splatter 
of  the  previous  night's  hike. 

At  noon  we  were  on  the  march  again,  and  at  1.15  our 

headquarters  was  established  at  Les  Bouleaux  Farm,  a 

kilo  southeast  of  Chery  Chartreuve,  and  some  five  kilos 

south  of  the  Vesle  River.     The  four  companies  of  our 

2d  Battalion,  with  L  and  M  of  the  8d,  were  at  La  Pres 

and  Resson  Farms,  south  of  Mont  St.  Martin,  where 
11 


162  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

their  movement  had  been  arrested  shortly  after  their 
get-away  the  previous  night.  Other  units  of  the  regi- 
ment, including  the  Headquarters  and  Supply  Com- 
panies, moved  into  position  in  the  valley  south  and  south- 
east of  Chery  Chartreuve,  known  to  the  French  as  Fond 
de  INIezieres  but  more  generally  known,  after  a  few  days' 
residence  in  that  hot  territory,  as  "  Death  Valley." 
Shellfire  grew  too  heavy  for  the  advance  guard,  and  its 
purpose  having  been  accomplished,  it  was  withdrawn  to 
the  valley  south  of  Chery,  there  to  await  further  orders. 

French  engineers,  with  a  hberal  supply  of  pontoons 
on  wagons,  were  also  encamped  in  the  hollow  by  the 
night  of  the  5th.  They  were  awaiting  the  critical  moment 
to  cross  the  Vesle  River,  an  opportunity  that  was  to 
come  soon. 

That  night  in  the  mud  and  rain,  and  under  the  most 
disagreeable  circumstances,  we  watched  big  tractors  pull 
the  American  artillery  into  position. — our  own  artillery, 
in  fact,  which  had  come  direct  from  the  firing  ranges  of 
southern  France.  The  big  tractors  pulled  the  big  guns 
through  the  mud,  and  surmounted  almost  discouraging 
obstacles.  That  night  we  heard  an  American  barrage 
going  over  the  Vesle,  and  we  knew  then  that  our  own 
guns  were  in  their  hastily  arranged  emplacements  in 
"  Death  Valley."  There  was  a  distinct,  indescribable 
comfort  in  the  very  thought  that  our  own  artillery,  which 
we  had  not  seen  for  months,  was  on  the  job  and  ready  to 
support  our  fellows.     Shells  were  falhng  in  Fismette 


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INTO  ACTION  ALONG  THE  VESLE  183 

and  along  the  Vesle — places  where  own  own  boys  were 

to  advance  under  heavy  fire  on  August  7th. 

And  so  the  stage  was  set  for  one  of  the  most  hotly 
contested  battles  of  the  war;  the  Germans  brought  to 
bay  on  the  Vesle  and  the  28th  Division  moving  to  relieve 
the  32d,  then  in  the  front  line  at  Fismes.  Colonel  Rick- 
ards,  in  his  official  report,  tells  of  this  relief : 

Tuesday  evening,  August  6,  orders  were  received  to  relieve  the 
125th  and  126tli  Infantries  by  the  112th  Infantry  and  the  109th 
Machine  Gun  Battalion,  in  the  advance  line  south  of  Fismes.  The 
movement  was  started  at  10  o'clock;  the  night  dark,  raining  hard, 
mud  deep  and  the  roads  congested  with  troops  and  transportation 
moving  and  standing.  I  personally  arrived  at  the  P.  C.  of  the 
C.  O.  126th  Infantry  at  1.20  a.m.,  but  found  no  officers  there  except 
the  Intelligence  Officer  of  the  125th  Infantry,  who  informed  me  that 
the  commanding  officers  of  the  two  regiments  I  was  to  relieve  had 
departed  earlier  in  the  evening.  Owing  to  the  lack  of  officers^  on 
duty  with  the  troops  to  be  relieved,  some  difficulty  was  experienced 
in  providing  guides  to  conduct  the  several  units  to  their  stations. 

The  2d  Bn.,  Captain  Phelps  commanding,  was  sent  to  the  to^vn 
of  Fismes.  The  3d  Bn.  was  conducted  by  an  officer  of  the  126th  In- 
fantry to  Les  Grands  Marais,  which  is  west  of  the  sector  designated 
for  this  regiment.  The  1st  Bn.,  with  the  INIachine  Gun  Co.  and  Hq. 
Co.,  less  one-pounder  platoon,  was  held  in  reserve;  one  company 
109th  Machine  Gun  Bn.,  less  one  platoon,  was  posted  on  the  high 
ground  in  Bois  de  Larribonnet.  Another  at  En  Bionne.  The  P.  C. 
of  the  2d  Bn.  was  at  Chezelles,  3d  Bn.  in  the  ravine  southeast  of 
Le  Moncel,  the  1st  Bn.  and  the  Regimental  Headquarters  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Dravegnj'-Fismes-Mont  St.  Martin  roads.  The 
relief  of  the  two  regiments  was  completed  about  3.30  a.m. 

Reconnaissance  made  during  the  early  morning  developed  that 
the  river  at  these  points  averaged  from  20  to  35  feet  wide,  4  to  6 
feet  deep,  mud  bottom,  marshy  approaches,  with  wire  entanglements 


164  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

in  bottom  of  river  and  on  the  banks,  making  it  impossible,  of  course, 
to  cross  except  over  the  ruined  bridge  connecting  Fismes  and 
Fismette.  A  small  bridge  was  constructed  by  the  pioneer  platoon 
of  the  regiment  at  Le  Grand  Savart.  Bois  du  Diable,  Les  Grands 
Bois,  la  Gravette,  to  and  including  Fismette,  were  filled  with  enemy 
troops,  armed  principally  with  machine  guns. 

During  the  day  (August  7)  a  quiet  hunt  was  made  for  snipers 
and  machine  gun  nests,  which  not  only  familiarized  the  troops  with 
the  surrounding  terrain,  but  which  succeeded  in  cleaning  out  many 
of  these  nests.  The  work  of  machine  guns  and  snipers  in  the  village 
of  Fismette  became  very  aggravating.  The  Major-General  visited 
my  post,  and  it  was  decided  that  a  barragie  would  be  put  on  at  7 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  accordingly  preparations  for  an  attack 
on  the  place  were  made. 

Fismes  had  been  taken  by  American  forces  dm-ing 
the  night  of  August  4th  and  5th,  but  German  machine- 
gun  snipers,  holding  Fismette  in  force  and  the  woods 
that  hned  the  north  bank  of  the  stream  to  the  west,  made 
things  warm  in  the  captured  city.  Shells,  exploding  in 
the  narrow  streets  or  along  once  beautiful  avenues,  hour 
after  hour  sent  stone  and  dirt  into  the  air,  adding  devas- 
tation to  the  wreckage  already  resulting  from  the  heavy 
shellfire. 

Things  moved  swiftly  that  night  of  the  6th  and  7th. 
Our  forces  all  had  moved  forward.  The  pioneer  platoon 
of  the  Headquarters  Company,  working  feverishly  in 
the  dark,  had  built  a  foot  bridge  six  feet  wide,  and  this 
was  swung  into  position  as  machine-gun  snipers  and  one- 
pounders  tried  to  wreck  the  woods  and  kill  the  fellows 
who  were  setting  the  stage  for  a  crossing  of  the  Vesle  on 
the  night  of  the  7th.     Trees  had  been  cut  and  thrown 


INTO  ACTION  ALONG  THE  VESLE  165 

across  the  river,  but  crossings  on  these  were  made  ahnost 
impossible,  due  to  the  activity  of  the  German  machine 
gunners. 

So  hot  was  the  fighting  and  sheUfire  in  the  Fismes 
sector  and  along  the  Vesle  that  in  one  small  patch  of 
woods,  where  the  pioneer  platoon  was  located,  a  dozen 
fallen  American  soldiers  lay  unburied.  The  stench  of 
decaying  flesh,  of  gas-infested  woods  and  of  exploding 
shells  was  of ttimes  sickening ;  it  was  a  matter  of  using  a 
dugout  every  minute  of  the  day  when  shells  were 
whistling,  crashing  and  resounding  through  the  woods 
or  in  the  town  itself. 

Beginning  at  7  o'clock  the  night  of  the  7th,  with  our 
artillery  putting  over  one  of  the  most  severe  barrages 
we  had  ever  listened  to,  with  the  sky  that  night  brightly 
illumined  by  a  thousand  barking  guns — it  seemed  that 
many,  at  least — the  advance  of  the  112th  Infantry  went 
forward  with  a  rush.  The  2d  and  3d  Battalions  made 
the  attack  on  the  enemy's  front;  and  the  3d  succeeded  in 
getting  three  companies  across  the  river  to  the  west  of 
Fismes — at  Le  Grand  Savart,  two  kilos  from  the  city. 
Simultaneously,  thi-ee  companies  of  the  1st  Battalion 
took  up  a  position  in  the  town  itself. 

During  the  early  morning  of  the  8th,  with  the  bar- 
rage having  done  its  full  duty,  our  fellows  tore  across 
the  old  stone  and  a  new  foot  bridge  and  entered  Fismette 
and  fought  their  way,  yard  by  yard,  through  streets  that 
were  swept  by  enemy  machine  gun  fire.  They  were  the 
brave  fellows  of  the  1st  and  2d  BattaHons;  naturally, 


166  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

under  such  heavy  fire,  all  the  men  could  not  go  un- 
scathed. Shells  were  covering  every  patch  of  ground 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river  for  an  area  of  at  least  ten 
square  miles ;  shellfire  claimed  many,  gas  got  a  number, 
and  the  machine  gun  fii'e  of  the  Huns  mowed  down  some 
of  the  valiant  crew  that  started  through  the  hell  of  it 
into  Fismette. 

Of  this  night  of  real  fighting  along  the  Vesle,  the 
112th's  conmiander  had  this  to  say  in  his  report  of  a 
few  days  later: 

The  preparatory  fire  was  opened  at  6.45,  and  continued  until 
7  o'clock,  when  the  barrage  was  moved.  It  was  my  understanding 
that  this  assault  was  to  be  general  in  the  three  divisions,  and  as 
the  barrage  moved,  my  troops  moved  with  it.  They  succeeded  in 
gaining  the  village  of  Fismette,  but  as  the  troops  on  my  right  and 
left  did  not  go  forward,  it  was  necessary  for  us  to  withdraw  to  the 
south  side  of  the  river  again. 

The  3d  Bn.  at  this  time  crossed  to  tlie  north  side  of  the  river 
in  the  Grand  Savart  on  the  narrow  bridge  which  had  been  con- 
structed by  the  pioneer  platoon  of  the  regiment.  They  met  strong 
opposition  from  machine  gun  fire  and  snipers  in  the  Chateau  du 
Diable,  but  gained  some  ground  and  held  it. 

About  12  o'clock  I  consulted  with  Captain  Phelps  and  Captain 
Miller,  the  latter  having  been  sent  forward  to  support  Captain 
Phelps  during  the  advance,  at  7  p.m.,  and  it  was  decided  to  again 
try  to  advance  and  take  the  village  of  Fi&mette.  I  called  the 
Maj  or-General,  and  got  his  consent,  and  arranged  for  an  attack, 
and  for  the  artillery  fire  to  precede  the  advance.  This  fire  was 
opened  at  4  a.m.  and  was  continued  for  one  hour,  when  we  again 
crossed  to  the  north  side  of  the  river,  but  were  compelled  to  return. 
At  11  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  bombardment  of  the  village  was 
started,  and  continued  stationary  until  1.30  p.m.  and  then  rolled 
forward,  the  troops  following  the  barrage  and  Companies  F,  H  and 


INTO  ACTION  ALONG  THE  VESLE  167 

G  entered  the  village,  where  heavy  fighting  took  place,  which  re- 
sulted in  our  getting  a  foothold,  giving  us  some  munitions  and 
about  40  prisoners. 

During  that  night  and  the  following  day,  the  hills  and  country 
west,  north  and  east  of  Fismette  were  shelled  in  an  effort  to  dis- 
lodge machine  gun  nests.  This  was  only  partially  successful.  Dur- 
ing the  day  a  number  of  machine  guns  were  cleaned  out  by  the  fire 
of  our  own  machine  guns,  and  37  mm.  guns;  and  a  number  of 
prisoners  were  taken.  Altogether,  about  60  prisoners  were  taken, 
and  it  is  believed  from  conservative  estimates  that  not  less  than  350 
of  the  enemy  were  killed  and  countless  numbers  wounded. 

A  number  of  minor  counter-attacks  were  made  by  the  enemy, 
but  with  the  exception  of  two  made  against  the  right  flank  and  one 
on  the  left,  they  amounted  to  nothing.  All  were  repulsed  with  loss 
to  the  enemy. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  3d  BattaHon  was  the  first 
to  cross  the  Vesle,  at  the  Grand  Savart;  that  three  at- 
tempts were  made  to  take  Fismette;  ^vith  the  third,  on 
the  afternoon  of  August  8th,  being  successful,  though 
costly.  Fighting  from  one  wall  to  another,  from  house 
to  house,  and  popping  gi'enades  whenever  the  chance 
offered,  the  2d  Battalion  got  a  real  taste  of  hand-to- 
hand  fighting  that  memorable  afternoon,  but  when  the 
day  ended  Fismette  was  in  the  possession  of  the  112th 
Infantry. 

There  was  a  machine  gun  nest  everywhere  along  that 
creek-like  river,  and  each  was  so  persistently  active  that 
the  boys  who  held  the  American  fighting  line  at  that 
point  were  on  the  jump  every  minute.  Patrols  were 
the  order,  not  of  the  day,  but  of  the  hour. 

Meanwhile,  the  German  aviators  were  doing  their 


168  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

best  to  get  the  range  of  the  positions  occupied  by  our 
troops.  From  dawn  until  sunset  they  were  active;  south 
of  Chery  Chartreuve,  above  which  they  hovered  many 
times  a  day,  they  maneuvered,  and  finally,  in  one  great 
dash,  succeeded  in  bringing  down  one  observation  bal- 
loon belonging  to  the  Americans.  The  gray  machines, 
flying  low,  passed  right  over  the  stone  building  in  which 
the  rear  P.C.  was  located,  at  Les  Bouleaux,  while  men 
with  rifles,  the  anti-aircraft  guns  on  the  hillside  near  us 
and  machine  guns  mounted  on  wheels  pumped  away  at 
them.  On  the  evening  of  the  7th,  after  this  successful 
afternoon  raid,  they  attempted  to  come  across  again, 
but  our  Archie  barrage  was  too  strong  for  them,  and 
they  were  driven  off. 

During  the  memorable  night  of  August  7th-8th  the 
Germans  rained  shells  into  the  valley  and  slopes  south 
of  Chery  Chartreuve.  It  was  here  that  the  Headquar- 
ters Company  had  been  located;  the  Supply  Company 
was  still  in  position  there,  too.  Luther  Shive  was  in- 
stantly killed  not  far  from  the  "  dump  "  as  he  and  a 
companion  stood  outside  their  dugout;  the  pal  standing 
by  his  side  was  hit  in  the  leg  by  shrapnel,  being  wounded 
in  three  places. 

The  Huns  rained  gas  and  H.  E.  shells  in  the  valley 
most  of  the  night;  there  was  one  gas  alarm  after  an- 
other, and  to  us  it  seemed  surprising  that  our  fellows, 
under  such  a  terrific  barrage,  did  not  "  click  it "  more 
hea^aly;  but  we  were  thankful  when  the  night  was  over, 
and  both  barrages  lifted  for  awhile. 


INTO  ACTION  ALONG  THE  VESLE  169 

The  "  hell  of  it  "  at  Epieds  was  hardly  in  it  with 
what  our  fellows  went  through  during  that  period  at 
Fismes  and  Fismette,  and  which  continued  until  Au- 
gust 10th,  when  all  our  units  took  up  positions  to  the 
south  of  Chery  Chartreuve  again,  the  111th  taking  our 
places  at  Fismette,  Fismes  and  along  the  Vesle. 

Word  came  down  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  that 
our  boys  had  taken  their  first  German  prisoners. 

One  company  alone  got  57,  surrounding  a  house  in 
Fismette,  after  a  sharp  battle.  Thirty- four  in  the  first 
batch  were  started  on  their  way,  but  some  got  caught  in 
a  gas  attack  and  others  in  shellfire — and  so  not  all  of 
them  reached  their  destination  behind  the  lines.  The 
enemy  kept  up  a  heavy  shelling  during  the  afternoon  and 
evening  of  the  9th,  some  of  the  shells  falling  close  to  our 
Headquarters  at  Les  Bouleaux  Farm.  And  for  heavy 
shellfire,  Saturday,  August  10th,  was  a  repetition. 

In  the  closing  paragraph  of  his  report  on  the  first 
action  at  Fismes,  Fismette  and  about  the  Vesle,  Colonel 
Rickards  indicated  the  toll  that  German  artillery  and 
machine-gun  fire  had  taken.    The  report  read : 

Of  our  own  men,  there  were  killed!  41,  wounded  l68,  gassed 
128,  missing  59;  casualties' — officers  12,  men  S96.  There  are  for 
duty  67  officers  and  2763  men.  The  regiment  was  relieved  about 
midnight  of  Friday,  August  9;  some  units,  however,  were  not  re- 
lieved until  4  A.M.,  August  10.  Relief  was  eifected  by  the  111th 
Infantry. 

The  operation  covered  a  period  of  eighty  hours,  daring  which 
time  some  officers  took  no  sleep  whatever,  and  worked  continuously 
throughout.     It  is  regretted  that  the  proper  support  on  our  flanks 


170  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

was  not  given.  Had  it  been,  it  is  my  opinion  that  our  original 
objective  would  have  been  reached,  and  the  possession  of  the 
plateau  gained. 

It  is  unusual,  perhaps,  to  call  special  attention  to  acts  of  plain 
duty,  but  I  wish  to  take  this  opportunity  to  express  my  satisfaction 
of  the  manner  in  Avhich  officers  and  men  alike  performed  their 
duties  and  carried  out  the  orders  and  directions  given  them. 

Though  he  did  not  say  it,  Colonel  Rickards  himself 
was  the  officer  who  remained  on  constant  duty  for  a 
period  of  eighty  hours,  and  his  battalion  commanders — 
then  Captains  Harry  F.  Miller,  Lucius  M.  Phelps  and 
Fred  McCoy — were  almost  as  busy;  and  each  of  the 
three  was  recommended  for  promotion  to  Major  in  the 
final  paragraph  of  his  official  summary — promotions, 
however,  which  came  long  afterward,  when  the  action  at 
Fismes  was  all  but  a  memory. 

Naturally,  there  were  more  detailed  reports  from 
the  battalion  commanders,  and  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing perhaps  is  that  of  Captain  McCoy,  who  explained 
how  the  men  of  the  3d  BattaHon  cut  their  way  through 
hea\'y  wire,  forged  ahead  despite  heavy  fire  from  the 
Devil's  Chateau,  and  held  the  ground  gained  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  Vesle.    The  report  ran : 

1.  On  the  night  of  August  6th  this  battalion  relieved  a  battalion 
of  the  126th  Infantry,  completing  relief  about  4.00  a.m.,  August  7th. 
The  position  taken  up  was  along  the  railroad,  about  300  yards  south 
of  the  Vesle,  and  about  ll/^  kilos  west  of  Fismes.  This  position  was 
occupied  until  12.30  m.,  August  7th. 

2.  At  11.45  A.M.,  August  7th,  I  received  an  order  to  cross  the 
Vesle  River  immediately,  being  supported  by  one  company  of  ma- 
chine guns  and  one  platoon  of  one-pounders.     The  order  was  given 


INTO  ACTION  ALONG  THE  VESLE  171 

to  Companies  L  and  M  to  advaace  at  12.30,  being  supported  by 
Companies  I  and  K.  The  advance  started  at  the  hour  designated. 
As  soon  as  our  advance  started,  because  of  enemy  observation,  we 
were  subjected  to  very  heavy  barrage,  but  the  companies  advanced 
in  artillery  formation  and  went  ahead  through  the  barrage,  two 
companies  crossing  the  Vesle  on  logs  which  had  been  cut  and  thrown 
across,  forming  foot  bridges.  This  river  was  lined  very  heavily 
with  barbed  wire  on  both  sides,  which  had  to  be  cut.  After  crossing, 
Co.  L  and  Co.  M  advanced  through  woods  about  200  yards,  where 
they  were  forced  to  dig  in  by  heavy  machine  gun  fire  from  the  front 
and  right  fleink.  Company  I  crossed  a  little  later,  moving  to  posi- 
tion on  right  flank  of  the  other  two  companies.  Company  K  being 
held  on  this  side  of  the  Vesle  in  support  and  the  movement  forward 
was  held  up.  This  position  was  occupied  until  the  morning  of  the 
8th,  when  by  using  combat  patrols  an  advance  was  attempted.  We 
advanced  200  yards  to  an  embankment  on  the  railroad  south  of 
Chateau  du  Diable,  from  which  position  we  were  forced  to  fall 
back  about  35  yards,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  Germans  were 
entrenched  in  a  railroad  embankment  on  the  north  side  of  the  rail- 
road, using  potato  mashers  and  grenades,  and  heavy  machine  guns 
placed  stationary  on  embankment  and  worked  with  wires.  On  the 
evening  of  the  8th,  Company  K  crossed  the  Vesle  and  took  up  an 
entrenched  position  on  the  north  side  of  same,  still  in  support  of  the 
other  three  companies.  This  position  was  held  by  the  battalion 
until  our  relief  on  the  night  of  August  9th. 

3.  We  were  subject  all  the  time  to  a  very  harassing  machine 
gun  fire  from  front  and  right  flank  from  nests  and  snipers.  We  were 
able  to  account  for  quite  a  few  snipers  by  sniping  ourselves. 

4.  The  enemy  tried  three  counter-attacks  on  our  right  flank  on 
August  9th,  between  the  hours  of  12.00  m.  and  7.00  p.m. 

5.  Our  work  was  handicapped  through  shortage  of  rifle  gren- 
ades, tromblons  and  hand  grenades,  some  of  which  were  received 
August  9th. 

6.  During  our  advance  across  the  Vesle  one  platoon  of  one- 
pounders  did  very  eff'ective  work  on   Chateau  du  Diable,  in  which 


172  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

were  enemy  machine  gjuns.     Night  of  August  Qth— 10th  we  were  re- 
lieved by  2d  Battalion  of  the  111th  Infantry. 

7.  Company  A  moved  up  and  took  up  position  on  south  side  of 
Vesle  River  when  K  Company  moved  across  the  river,  and  estab- 
lished liaison  by  patrolling  with  the  1st  Battalion  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  Vesle.  We  were  in  contact  with  the  5Sth  Infantry  on 
our  left. 

But  Captain  McCoy  failed  to  mention  that  had  the 
troops  on  his  left  flank  moved  forward  at  the  time  his 
own  men  crossed  the  river,  undoubtedly  the  Vesle  River 
bridgehead  would  have  been  so  enlarged  that  the  plateau 
behind  Fismette  would  have  been  taken  and  held,  paving 
the  way  for  a  good  start  toward  the  Aisne  River.  The 
story  of  the  failure  of  flank  troops  to  move  forward 
when  necessity  demanded,  or  even  when  occasion  offered, 
proved  costly  to  the  112th  later  that  month — an  event 
that  was  foreseen  and  predicted,  and  which  the  112th's 
commander  sought  to  avert  by  appealing  not  only  to 
Division  but  to  Army  Headquarters  as  well.  But  then 
that  is  a  story  which  wiU  be  told  in  its  turn. 

The  important  feature  to  remember  in  connection 
with  the  Vesle  River  action  is  that  the  112th  Infantry 
was  the  first  unit,  not  only  of  the  28th  Division,  but  of  any 
division  fighting  along  that  sector  during  the  drive,  to 
gain  a  foothold  on  the  north  bank  of  the  stream.  Claims 
of  other  units  which  came  into  action  after  the  relief 
was  effected  are  not  borne  out  by  the  facts;  all  but  a 
small  portion  of  Fismette  was  in  the  112th's  possession 
when  it  was  turned  over  to  the  111th  Infantry,  the  sister 
regiment  of  the  56th  Brigade,  during  August  9th  and 


INTO  ACTION  ALONG  THE  \TESLE  173 

10th;  the  lllth  in  turn  was  relieved  by  a  unit  of  the  55th 
Brigade,  and  when  the  112th  again  appeared  on  the 
scene,  August  18th,  completing  the  relief  of  the  109th 
at  4  on  the  morning  of  the  19th,  it  found  that  only  a  com- 
paratively small  section  of  Fismette  was  left  in  Ameri- 
can hands.  But  the  whole  story  of  Fismette  is  a  chapter 
in  itself,  and  so  these  details  will  be  deferred  for  a 
short  while. 

The  shellfire  for  those  first  few  days  on  the  Vesle, 
characterized  by  Colonel  Rickards  as  "  the  most  severe 
that  any  army  had  seen  up  until  that  time,  in  point  of 
concentration,"  continued  only  intermittently  after  the 
8th.  Now  and  then  "  Death  Valley  "  would  get  its 
daily  strafing,  and  those  who  had  rushed  into  the  mess- 
line  without  steel  hehnets  would  hustle  back  to  dug- 
outs on  the  hillside  until  the  shelling  was  over. 

On  Saturdaj%  when  the  doughboys  of  the  112th  fil- 
tered back  to  the  old  positions  south  of  Chery,  and  took 
up  their  residence  in  the  valley  again,  it  seemed  a  real 
haven  of  relief  to  be  away  from  that  searching  fire  which 
claimed  its  toll  not  only  at  Fismes,  Fismette  and  on  the 
Vesle,  but  at  Resson  Fme.,  about  Mont  St.  Martin  and 
at  other  points  in  the  area  between  the  river  and  the 
little  towTi  on  the  hill. 

Then  on  the  most  beautiful  Sunday  we  had  seen  for 
some  time  near  the  battle-front,  that  of  August  11th — 
one  Sunday  that  we  were  not  on  the  march  in  France — 
the  Hun  spread  death  and  devastation  in  the  Fond  de 


174  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Mezieres.  Well  did  it  earn  its  title  of  "  Death  VaUey  " 
that  afternoon! 

At  4  o'clock  the  Germans  blew  up  a  big  American 
ammmiition  dump  of  75s  just  north  of  Chery.  Then, 
while  shells  were  alighting  around  our  own  Headquar- 
ters, others  fell  in  the  valley.  In  forty-five  minutes 
horses,  men  and  wagons  were  blown  to  pieces.  Every 
yard  of  ground  seemed  covered  by  the  enemy  fire.  Three 
men  were  killed  and  more  than  50  wounded ;  they  were 
of  the  2d  and  3d  Battalions.  One  artilleryman,  scram- 
bling up  a  slope  to  escape  the  fire,  was  caught  by  a  sheU 
and  disappeared  in  a  mountain  of  dirt — blown  to  atoms. 

Surely  this  was  one  of  the  saddest  days  of  all ;  there 
were  not  enough  ambulances  available  to  carry  the 
wounded  away,  and  men  were  loaded  into  carts  and 
wagons;  everybody  in  the  section  volunteered  as 
stretcher-bearers;  officers'  nerves,  after  witnessing  such 
a  slaughter  before  their  eyes,  were  badly  shattered.  Even 
the  dugouts  of  the  hillside  offered  but  little  protection; 
some  groups  of  men  were  trapped  when  shells  made 
direct  hits.  Yet  this  reign  of  shell  terror  could  not  daunt 
the  spirit  of  our  boys ;  it  only  heightened  their  ambition 
to  get  another  slap  at  the  Germans. 

One  captain  of  Infantry,  so  overcome  by  the  sight 
of  his  own  men  being  mowed  down  as  he  looked  on  help- 
less from  a  mere  funkhole  in  the  hillside,  collapsed  and 
cried  like  a  baby,  unable  to  control  his  feelings.  Mules 
and  horses  suffered  greatly,  and  some  that  were  not 
killed  outright  had  to  be  shot  later  in  order  to  relieve 


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INTO  ACTION  ALONG  THE  VESLE  175 

their  suffering.  Jerry  aeroplanes,  more  active  than 
ever  on  that  afternoon,  were  blamed  for  this  Sunday 
catastrophe. 

The  112th  commander  lost  no  time  in  taking  inmie- 
diate  steps  to  prevent  a  recurrence,  and  the  following 
messages,  taken  verbatim  from  his  notebook,  indicate 
that  he  was  aware  of  the  seriousness  of  the  situation  and 
was  willing  to  do  everything  possible  to  safeguard  the 
welfare  of  his  men.    The  first  read: 

11  August,  1918. 
Capt.  Phelps: 

I  have  taken  up  the  question  of  moving  the  regiment  to  some 
point  from  which  it  can  get  better  cover.    What  is  your  opinion  of  it } 

Do  you  think  that  you  could  make  the  men  safe  where  they  are 
if  we  move  the  supply  trains  away  from  the  place? 

I  am  in  hope  that  the  whole  division  will  be  moved  back  in 
a  day  or  two,  but  if  this  thing  keeps  up  we  will  have  no  one  to  move. 

I  am  taking  up  the  same  question  with  the  Division  Com- 
mander, in  the  hope  that  I  can  get  him  and  others  in  authority  to  see 
the  necessity  of  giving  these  men  a  rest  and  reorganizing  the  division. 

Let  me  know  what  you.  Miller,  McCoy,  Rhone  and  Ziegler 
think  of  moving.  It  can't  be  far,  and  I  doubt  tlie  wisdom  of  a  move 
until  we  can  get  clear  out  of  this  neck  of  the  woods. 

RiCKAROS. 

His  message  to  the  Division  Commander  was  as 
follows : 

Hqrs.  112th  Inf.,  56th  Bro., 

11  August,  191 8. 
General: 

The  fire  from  the  enemy  H.  A.  has  been  playing  the  deuce  with 
the  troops  and  transportation  of  this  regiment. 

As  you  know,  there  is  no  cover  for  either  at  the  place  where 


176  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

they  are  now  quartered.  There  have  been  not  less  than  60  men  hurt 
to-day  and  12  or  14  animals  killed. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  fire  is  intended  for  the  H.  A.  we 
have  in  the  valley,  and  so  long  as  it  is  there  we  must  expect  the 
fire  of  the  enemy. 

In  this  connection  I  would  earnestly  urge  the  removal  from  this 
locality  to  one  of  a  more  quiet  condition  in  order  that  the  men  of 
the  division  may  recover  from  the  service  of  the  past  six  weeks.. 
They  have  undergone  hardships  and  losses.  The  regimental,  bat- 
talion and  company  organizations  are  broken.  Platoons  are  in  com- 
mand of  sergeants  and  corporals,  companies  in  command  of  lieu- 
tenants and  battalions  in  command  of  captains. 

I  fear  that  unless  we  soon  begin  this  reorganization,  much  of 
the  efficiency  of  the  division  will  be  lost  to  us.  It  is  my  belief  that 
we  can  better  afford  to  lose  time  now  and  maintain  our  efficiency 
than  to  let  it  go  over  until  all  our  hard  work  of  the  past  twelve 
months  shall  be  lost. 

Pardon  me  for  taking  this  liberty,  but  I  assure  you  that  it  is 
only  through  my  deep  interest  for  and  concern  in  the  Keystone 
Division  that  I  am  prompted  to  express  my  thoughts  on  the  subject, 
which  I  know  does  not  properly  belong  to  me. 

Yours, 

BjCKARDS. 

The  following  day  the  111th  Infantry  was  having  a 
tough  time  of  it  in  the  area  which  the  112th  had  turned 
over  to  it  three  days  before.  Lieut.  WilHam  J.  Robin- 
son, aide  to  General  Weigel,  telephoned  from  56th  Brig- 
ade Headquarters:  "You  wiU  assemble  your  best  battal- 
ion, together  with  your  machine-gun  company,  trench 
mortars  and  37  mm.  platoon,  and  hold  them  in  readiness 
to  move  forward  to  support  the  111th  Infantry."  And 
Colonel  Rickards  lost  no  time  in  sending  the  following 


INTO  ACTION  ALONG  THE  VESLE  177 

messages  in  his  own  handwriting,  prepared  for  any 
eventuahty : 

12  August,  1918,  8.05  a.m. 
Capt.  Miller: 

You  will  assemble  your  bn.  and  be  ready  to  move  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment. 

The  Machine  Gun  Co.,  one-pounder  platoon  and  the  trench 
mortar  platoon  will  report  to  you. 

As  soon  as  you  are  ready  send'  a  runner  to  tell  me  the  number 
of  men  you  have  in  each  unit. 

You  Avill  move  out  the  Fismes  Road  to  C.  O.,  111th  Inf.,  at  his 
command  post,  where  the  P.  C.  of  the  112th  was  located. 

RiCKARDS. 

12  August,  1918. 
Capt.  Rhonb: 

Report  with  your  M.  G.  Co.  to  Capt.  Miller  at  once. 

RiCKARDfl, 

Colonel. 

12  August,  1918,  8.35  a.m. 
Capt.  Miller: 

It  is  reported  that  the  111th  are  unable  to  hold  their  position, 
and  that  we  will  have  to  support  them.  You  already  have  orders 
to  assemble  your  bn.  It  will  be  necessary  to  act  promptly,  but  vou 
will  not  move  until  I  give  you  the  word  to  march. 

The  one-pounder  platoon  of  the  Hdq.  Co.,  trench  mortar  platoon 
and  Machine  Gim  Co.  have  had  orders  to  report  to  you.  As  soon  as 
you  have  departed  (if  you  do)  I  will  have  another  bn.  ready  to  fol- 
low and  support  you,  if  needed. 

Do  not  take  officers  or  men  with  you  who  are  not  physically 
able  to  meet  the  requirements.     They  will  only  be  in  the  way  and  a 
drawback  to  others.     Better  you  have  a  hundred  good  men  to  the 
company  than  to  have  it  encumbered  with  weaklings. 
12 


178  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Let  me  know  as  soon  as  you  are  ready,  and  the  number  of  men 
you  have.     But  don't  leave  until  I  give  you  the  word. 

You  will  not  take  any  transportation  with  you  except  ammuni- 
tion carts. 

Richards, 
Colonel. 

Regarding  the  same  situation,  indicating  that  there 
was  improvement  as  the  hom*s  passed,  the  following  mes- 
sages are  copied  from  the  same  book : 

12  August,  19I8,  9.45  a.m. 
Capt.  McCoy: 

Comdg.  3d  Bn.,  112th  Inf.: 

You  will  at  once  take  proper  measures  to  assemble  your  bn.  upon 
notice  from  me.  You  can  pass  the  word  now  and  company  com- 
manders make  their  plans  to  assemble  by  platoons,  should  shelling 
be  heavy  at  the  time  of  assembly. 

Be  very  careful  of  the  men.  Do  not  expose  them  until  it  is 
necessary.  BUT  BE  READY  TO  GO  WHEN  YOU  GET  THE 
WORD. 

Richards, 

Colonel. 

Dear  Shannon: 

I  am  doing  all  that  it  is  possible  with  my  broken  forces  to  help 
you  out.  INIy  Machine  Gun  Company  is  in  bad  shape.  They  had  a 
number  of  guns  knocked  out  in  the  last  action,  lost  3  men  and  20 
horses  yesterday  during  the  heavy  shelling. 

My  37  mm.  platoon  is  all  knocked  up  and  does  not  amount  to 
much.  Trench  mortar  is  in  fair  condition,  but  is  of  little  use  in  this 
kind  of  work.  The  companies  only  average  about  100  men  who  can 
be  of  any  use. 

I  have  a  bn,  of  about officers  and enlisted  men,  with 

the  M.  G.  Co.,  T.  M.  and  37  mm.  platoons  ready  to  go  to  your  sup- 


INTO  ACTION  ALONG  THE  VESLE  179 

port  as  soon  as  the  General  directs  it.  I  will  have  another  bn.  ready 
to  follow  this  one  if  needed. 

Captain  Harry  F.  Miller  is  the  comdg.  officer  of  the  first  sup- 
port I  will  send  you. 

Keep  me  informed  of  your  situation,  and  I  will  do  all  that  it  is 
possible  for  me  in  my  depleted  condition  to  help  you. 

I  believe  that  the  Boche  is  covering  his  getaway  this  morning, 
and  that  we  will  have  to  follow  him  to-night  to  keep  in  contact 
with  him. 

RiCKARDS. 

12  August,  1918,  9.40  a.m. 
Capt.  Miller: 

Keep  your  command  in  hand,  but  not  assembled.  Let  them  go 
to  their  dugouts,  and  wait  further  orders. 

This  includes  the  M.  G.  Co.  and  other  units. 

RiCKARDS, 

Colonel. 

12  August,  191 8,  6.30  p.m. 

To  Captains  Phelps, 

Miller, 

McCoy, 

Rhone, 

ZlEGLER, 

I  am  worrying  about  the  absence  of  the  enemy  fire.  I  fear  that 
the  men  will  get  careless  and  gather  in  bunches  and  that  the  enemy 
will  open  with  a  burst  of  fire  that  may  be  disastrous.  Look  to  this 
and  see  that  the  men  keep  under  cover. 

RiCKARDS, 

Colonel. 

A  temporary  relief  from  sliellfire  worries  came  Later 
that  day;  it  was  evident  tliat  tlie  plea  of  the  day  previous 
for  a  safer  area  for  the  reserve  elements  liad  liad  its 


180  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

effect,  for  Division  Headquarters  ordered  that  the  112th 
take  up  a  position  in  the  Dravegny  area,  more  than  three 
kilos  south  of  the  Chery  positions.  The  2d  Battalion  and 
Machine  Gun  Company  were  ordered  to  bivouac  near 
Longrille;  1st  Battalion  and  Headquarters  Company 
near  Fond  de  Gloriette;  and  the  3d  Battalion  at  La 
Moulinet — all  lying  east  and  northeast  of  the  town  of 
Dravegny  itself,  and  not  more  than  a  kilometer  from  old 
Hill  210,  scene  of  the  bivouac  on  August  4th. 

The  movement  began  at  4  on  the  morning  of  August 
13th,  and  the  Supply  Company  had  barely  pulled  out 
of  the  valley  south  of  Chery  when  Jerry  let  loose,  blew 
up  the  bridge  and  some  dugouts  along  the  small  stream 
where  the  rolling  kitchen  and  part  of  the  wagon  train 
stood,  and  raised  general  confusion;  the  other  units  of 
the  regiment  were  already  on  their  way,  and  Jerry's 
strafing  early  that  morning  went  for  nothing. 

"  As  soon  as  possible  after  arriving  in  place,"  the 
Field  Order  said,  "  men  will  dig  in  deep,  and  every  care 
taken  to  conceal  animals  and  transportation." 

This  was  followed  to  the  letter. 

Then  Colonel  Rickards  immediately  issued  General 
Orders  9,  announcing  establishment  of  headquarters  in 
the  extreme  southern  limits  of  Dravegny,  and  adding 
this  appreciation: 

The  Commanding  Officer  of  the  regiment  takes  this  occasion  to 
express  the  gratification  of  the  manner  in  which  officers  and  men 
have  performed  their  duties  in  the  past.  You  have  all  been  tried, 
and  to  his  knowledge,  none  have  been  found  who  have  not  fulfilled 
the  obligations  of  the  true  soldier.     Many  have  excelled  in  acts  of 


INTO  ACTION  ALONG  THE  \^SLE  181 

bravery   and   have   given   a  proud  name  and  place   to  the   112th 
Infantry. 

You  have  not  disappointed  our  friends^,  the  citizens  of  that 
grand  old  Keystone  State  who  have  a  faith  in  the  28th  Division  that 
no  obstacle  is  too  great  for  it  to  surmount.  To  keep  this  good  opin- 
ion, to  maintain  our  efficiency  as  companies,  battalions,  regiments, 
brigades  and  a  division,  will  call  upon  the  best  efforts  of  every  indi- 
vidual. Discipline  is  the  keynote  of  success.  The  Commanding 
Officer  believes  that  each  will  respond,  and  has  a  confidence  in  his 
organization  that  it  wiU  win  still  greater  honor  in  the  part  it  is  yet 
to  play  in  bringing  the  most  infamous  monarch  to  the  humble  position 
of  crying  for  mercy. 

Until  orders  came  for  the  regiment  to  go  into  the 
line  again,  on  the  night  of  August  18th,  the  men  drilled 
and  "  rested,"  as  circumstances  would  permit,  in  the 
Dravegny  area.  New  clothes  were  issued  to  those  whose 
uniforms  had  been  ripped  and  torn  in  battle;  men  were 
marched  to  an  old  chocolate  factory  near  Abbaye 
d'Igny,  three  miles  away,  to  get  baths — the  first  in  a  long 
time — while  other  boys  doffed  their  clothes  at  the  side 
of  a  woodland  stream  and  jumped  into  the  cold  water. 

Several  nights  Hmi  bombing  planes  came  over,  but 
their  missiles  fell  in  areas  not  occupied  by  our  troops,  and 
so  did  little  damage.  The  only  mishap  occurring  during 
the  period  was  the  collapse  of  a  INIachine  Gun  Company 
dugout  in  which  five  men  were  injured,  one  later  dying. 
On  August  17th  the  outfit  received  more  than  a  hundred 
replacements,  di-aftees  from  Camp  Lee  who  had  been 
in  the  service  only  since  May  19th. 

Had  it  not  been  for  such  a  rest  as  Dravegny  pro- 
vided, despite  the  riff-raff  of  battle  that  had  to  be  cleared 


182  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

away,  and  foul  odors  that  still  clung  to  damaged  barracks 
and  broken  buildings,  the  overwrought  nerves  of  many  a 
doughboy  who  went  through  the  testing  fire  at  Fismes 
and  Fismette  would  have  snapped  before  he  had  another 
chance  at  the  Hun  in  the  front  line. 

Once  in  an  area  where  only  occasional  shells  came  to 
greet  him  as  the  days  went  by,  instead  of  several  hundred 
in  an  hour  or  so,  he  had  time  to  tliink  over  the  events  of 
the  past  two  weeks,  to  recall  the  loss  of  those  pals,  to 
swap  stories  with  the  men  of  other  units  and  then  to  try, 
but  not  succeed,  in  forgetting  the  toll  that  war  took. 

There  was  a  bright  side  to  the  Dravegny  "  rest " 
period,  and  the  literature,  recent  magazines  from  the 
States,  and  cakes  of  chocolate  which  the  Red  Cross  gave 
out  day  after  day,  went  far  to  while  away  what  few  idle 
hours  the  enlisted  man  had.  Five  days  isn't  a  very  long 
rest,  but  it  helped  put  the  men  in  fettle  for  another  siege 
of  the  game.  I  hardly  believe  that  Colonel  Rickards  was 
ever  prouder  of  his  men  than  just  at  that  time,  unless  it 
was  on  the  day  that  the  Pocahontas  docked  at  Philadel- 
phia, and  the  homecoming  troops  debarked;  but  the  war 
game  was  so  ever-present  that  we  had  few  thoughts  of 
returning  to  the  U.  S.  A.  then.  Yet  we  looked  for  mail, 
day  to  day,  just  as  eagerly  as  we  ever  had. 

The  doughboy  will  have  fun  no  matter  where  he  goes, 
and  it  was  never  truer  than  right  there  in  Dravegny. 
The  office  personnel,  runners  and  men  on  duty  about 
Regimental  Headquarters  got  up  a  mess  of  their  own  in 
one  of  the  tumble-down  barracks,  appointed  Color  Ser- 
geant Miles  Shoup  as  mess  sergeant,  and  allowed  "  Pat  " 


INTO  ACTION  ALONG  THE  VESLE  183 

Doyle,  of  Huntingdon,  to  be  general  overseer.  "  Pat  " 
managed  things  well,  and  the  first  of  his  duties  was  to 
post  the  following  rules  in  a  conspicuous  place.  They 
ran  something  like  this : 

112TH  HUT  RULES. 

1.  Give  a  helping  hand. 

2.  Don't  throw  waste  paper  or  cigarette  butts  on  the  floor. 

3.  Be  clean  and  sanitary. 

4.  Help  carry  water  and  chop  wood. 

5.  Be  a  volunteer. 

6.  No  lights  after  8.45  p.m. 

7.  Stay  out  of  the  kitchen. 

8.  Use  your  head. 

9.  Help  one  another,  and  be  a  regular  soldier. 

10.  Don't  swear;  use  your  energy  for  strafing  the  Hun. 

11.  Air  your  blankets  and  keep  your  bunk  tidy. 

12.  Register  before  eating. 

IS.  If  you  don't  belong  here,  move.     Don't  goldbrick. 

14.  Work  like and  be  happy. 

15.  Now  don't  forget  to  help  carrj--  water  and  chop  wood,  for  the 

boys  at  the  front  need  the  eats,  and  the  cooks  are  doing  their 
bit — are  you? 

Strewn  about  this  same  barracks  were  the  remnants 
of  a  German  retreat — clothing,  Hun  helmets,  belts  and 
litter  of  all  kinds.  This  was  cleared  away,  the  chicken- 
wire  bunks  made  fairly  comfortable,  and  the  dirt  floor 
kept  scrupulously  clean.  As  to  Doyle's  rule  about  "  no 
lights  "  after  dark,  that  was  entirely  unnecessary.  Even 
cigarettes  were  banned,  and  there  were  sufficient  visits 
of  Hun  bombing  planes  to  nearby  areas,  particularly  at 
Cohan  and  Courmont,  to  induce  any  doughboy  to  ob- 
serve the  army  regulations  to  the  letter. 

Life,  after  all,  in  Dravegny  wasn't  such  an  unpleas- 


184  WITH  THE  IHTH  IN  FRANCE 

ant  siege.  French  civilians  began  moving  back  into  the 
old  houses,  wrecked  and  ruined,  long  before  shells  ceased 
to  fall  within  their  gardens.  But  that  was  France  and 
its  war  zone. 

Side  by  side  in  the  little  church  cemetery  in  the  heart 
of  the  town  slept  German,  French  and  American  sol- 
diers, each  cross  plainly  marked  with  the  characteristic 
lettering  of  the  army  to  which  the  fallen  heroes  belonged. 
The  wreck  of  war  had  not  been  entirely  cleared  away 
from  the  httle  town  when  the  summons  to  duty  on  the 
Vesle  came  again;  but  it  was  answered  promptly. 
Dravegny  and  its  pathetic  quietude  were  forgotten  in 
the  days  to  follow. 

Meanwhile,  the  Red  Cross  outpost  station  there  con- 
tinued to  be  a  haven  for  the  youngster  who  wanted  cig- 
arettes, canned  goods,  and  books  to  read;  and  in  the 
days  that  followed  it  was  a  poor  runner  indeed  who 
couldn't  make  his  way  back  to  the  free  canteen  for  a  hand- 
out. The  Red  Cross,  broken  barracks,  battle  salvage, 
filth  and  confusion,  dusty  roads  and  speeding  motor 
trucks,  a  blistering  simimer  sun  that  scorched  the  dough- 
boy day  after  day,  decrepit  French  women  at  the  little 
wash-pool — these  are  flashes  which  come  to  mind  when 
the  112th  doughboy  thinks  of  Dravegny. 

And  in  the  shell-torn  back  yards,  in  the  little  church 
ground  and  here  and  there  the  tell-tale  pine  crosses  over 
freshly  turned  earth  were  mute  evidence  of  another 
story,  the  one  which  we  were  all  learning  by  heart  day 
after  day  in  the  war  zone  of  the  Vesle. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISMETTE 

Second  Tour  of  Duty  Along  the  Vesle — The  Shock 
Troops  of  the  Germans  Rush  Fismette  on  August  27th 
— Plans  to  Retake  Town  by  a  Provisional  Company — 
Relief  From  the  Vesle  River  Early  on  September  1st. 

The  second  tour  of  duty  along  the  Vesle  River  be- 
gan without  event  on  the  night  of  August  18th  and  19th, 
and  by  the  morning  of  the  19th  Companies  A  and  C  were 
holding  Fismette,  B  Company  was  guarding  the  right 
flank  south  of  the  river;  and  D  Company,  minus  one 
platoon,  was  covering  the  left  flank.  Thus  the  1st  Bat- 
talion of  the  112th  Infantry,  comprising  the  companies 
named,  was  occupying  the  front  line  of  the  56th  Brig- 
ade sector  along  the  Vesle  River,  in  Fismes  and  Fismette. 

On  the  left  was  the  308th  Infantry,  a  77th  Division 
unit;  on  the  right  was  the  110th  Infantry,  of  our  own 
55th  Brigade.  Regimental  Headquarters'  advance 
P.C.  was  established  at  "  Death  Curve  "  (the  eastern 
extremity  of  old  Fond  de  Mezieres,  or  "  Death  Valley  ") 
on  the  Dravegny-St.  Gilles  road,  while  the  Headquarters 
Company  was  in  the  valley.  Dugouts,  funkholes,  and 
grub  sent  forward  from  Dravegny  in  marmite  cans 
twice  a  day  were  the  ruling  elements  of  that  life  up  the 
line  once  more. 

The  Supply  Company  remained  in  its  position,  a  kilo 
east  of  Dravegny;  the  Machine  Gun  Company  was  in 

185 


186  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

position  a  kilo  east  of  Fismes;  2d  Battalion,  a  half  kilo 
south  of  St.  Gilles;  3d  Battahon,  one  kilo  southwest  of 
St.  Gilles. 

The  enemy  kept  up  the  usual  harassing  fire,  but  the 
new  sector  was  not  half  so  treacherous  as  the  first  days  at 
Fismes  and  Fismette  earlier  in  the  month.  The  regi- 
mental band,  which  had  seen  valiant  service  as  stretcher- 
bearers  in  the  previous  action,  were  again  ready  for  any 
eventuality,  occupying  dugouts  with  the  Headquarters 
Company  not  far  from  "  Death  Curve." 

Under  Captain  Graff  and  braving  withering  ma- 
chine gmi  fire,  Company  A,  on  August  21st,  extended 
its  position  in  the  west  end  of  Fismette ;  the  Germans,  it 
was  reported,  occupied  the  eastern  section  of  the  town 
in  force.  Only  a  few  houses  were  German-held,  reports 
that  day  indicated,  and  these  were  being  *'  cleaned  "  out 
in  typical  American  fashion.  On  the  22d  the  8d  Bat- 
tahon relieved  the  1st  in  the  front  line,  this  being  ac- 
complished under  an  American  barrage  and  entailing 
no  casualties  whatever.  Meanwhile,  the  other  units  were 
kept  occupied  at  night  in  digging  reserve  trenches — 
merely  a  precautionary  measure  against  a  Hun  rush ;  for 
at  that  time  there  were  reports  the  Germans  were  rush- 
ing reinforcements  to  the  sector  and  that  they  might 
make  an  attempt  to  retake  Fismes. 

The  duties  of  those  first  eight  days  in  the  area  be- 
tween Fond  de  Mezieres  and  the  Vesle  were  more  or  less 
of  a  routine  nature,  and  this  is  best  described  perhaps  in 
the  detailed  report  of  that  time,  prepared  by  Captain 


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THEiTRAGEDY  AT  FISMETTE  187 


'M 


Sylvanus  A.  Fenno,  then  the  Intelhgence  Officers  of  the 
regiment : 

1.  On  16  August,  I9I8,  the  112th  Infantry  received  orders  to 
relieve  the  109th  Infantry,  then  holding  the  left  sub-sector  of  the 
Penn  Sector;  the  1st  Battalion  of  the  112th  to  take  over  the  left 
half  of  the  sub-sector  on  the  night  of  17-18  August;  the  2d  Battalion 
the  right  half  on  the  night  of  18-19  August;  the  3d  Battalion  to  go 
into  support  on  the  line  of  resistance  on  the  night  of  18-19  August; 
the  command  of  the  line  of  resistance  to  pass  to  the  Commanding 
Officer,  112th  Infantry,  at  5  hr.,  I9  August. 

2.  That  part  of  the  order  afl'ecting  the  1st  Battalion  was  car- 
ried out  when  the  order  was  superseded  by  the  following  changes: 
The  1st  Bn.  to  extend  its  front  to  include  the  entire  sub-sector 
on  the  night  of  18-19  August.  The  2d  Bn.  to  take  a  position  on  the 
right  half  of  the  line  of  resistance.  The  3d  Bn.  the  left  of  the  line 
of  resistance.  The  entire  relief  was  effected  in  good  order.  By 
5  A.M.,  August  19,  all  units  were  in  their  assigned  positions. 

3.  The  disposition  of  the  combat  groups  in  the  front  lines  was 
completed  with  A  and  C  Companies  occupying  Fismette,  B  Company 
holding  the  right  flank  south  of  the  river;  D  Company,  minus  one 
platoon,  used  to  cover  left  flank,  in  support  in  Fismes.  By  this  time 
mixed  liaison  combat  groups  had  been  established  with  the  units  on 
our  flanks.  One  company  of  the  109th  M.  G.  Bn.,  together  with  the 
M.  G.  Co.,  112th  Infantrj',  took  up  position  previously  selected  in 
the  zone  of  combat  groups.  On  the  night  of  19-20  the  enemy  at- 
tempted to  launch  a  raid  on  our  left  flank  in  Fismette.  This  was 
quickly  repulsed  by  our  automatic  rifles.     No  casualties. 

4.  Up  to  this  time  the  houses  on  the  extreme  left  of  Fismette 
were  being  occupied  after  dark  by  enemy  machine  gunners,  who 
were  causing  considerable  trouble  to  our  troops ;  so  on  the  night  of 
20—21  August,  under  cover  of  our  own  normal  barrage,  supple- 
mented by  Stokes  mortars  and  one-pounders  of  this  regiment,  Com- 
pany A,  after  a  slight  engagement,  succeeded  in  extending  its  left 
flank  to  include  this  part  of  Fismette. 

5.  The  balance  of  the  time  in  the  line  the  1st  Bn.  spent  in  con- 


188  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

solidating  the  strong  points  established^  burying  the  dead  and  patrol- 
ling for  machine  gun  nests  and  prisoners.  Under  the  supervision  of 
the  lOSd  Engineers,  the  balance  of  tlie  regiment  constructed  trenches 
under  cover  of  darkness  along  the  line  of  resistance.  This  work 
continued  during  the  whole  period  of  this  report. 

6.  On  the  night  of  the  22-23  August  the  1st  Bn.  in  front  line 
was  relieved  by  the  3d  Bn.,  the  former  occupying  the  position  of 
the  Sd  Bn.  on  the  line  of  resistance.  Also  Companies  A  and  B, 
109th  M.  G.  Battalion  and  the  M.  G.  Co.,  112th  Inf.,  in  the  outpost 
zone,  the  latter  withdrawing  to  a  position  in  ravine  at  203.8-282.9- 
The  tour  of  the  3d  Bn.  while  on  the  front  line  was  spent  in  further 
consolidation  of  their  positions.  Attempts  were  made  every  night  to 
get  identification  of  the  enemy  opposing  us,  obtain  a  reconnaissance 
of  the  Vesle  River  over  our  entire  sector,  but  only  those  patrols 
working  in  the  center  of  the  sector  were  successful,  owing  to  the 
activity  of  enemy  machine  guns.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  area 
along  the  river  is  continually  lit  up  by  flares,  making  movement  in 
the  open  very  difficult. 

7.  Constant  observation  on  the  part  of  the  Sd  Bn.  resulted  in 
locating  the  positions  occupied  by  enemy  trench  mortars  and  one- 
pounders,  which  heretofore  had  been  harassing  our  front  line. 
These  positions  were  indicated  to  the  107th  Field  Artillery,  who 
with  destructive  fire  effectively  silenced  the  enemy. 

8.  On  the  night  of  26-27  August  the  following  changes  of  posi- 
tions were  effected:  The  1st  Bn.,  111th  Inf.,  moved  into  position  for- 
merly occupied  by  the  3d  Bn.,  111th,  and  the  latter  moving  up  to 
the  line  of  resistance;  and  took  up  a  position  where  the  2d  Bn.,  112th, 
had  been  stationed.  The  2d  Bn.,  112th  Inf.,  relieved  the  3d  Bn. 
on  the  front  line;  the  3d  Bn.  then  moved  back  to  the  area  vacated  by 
the  1st  Bn.,  111th,  in  the  barrier  zone.  The  relief  on  the  front  line 
was  accomplished  in  good  order  without  casualties,  all  imits  being 
in  position  by  1  hr.  Company  H  occupied  the  right  flank  and  G 
Company  the  left  flank  in  Fismette.  South  of  the  river.  Company  F 
held  the  right  of  the  sector,  E  Company  the  left.  Liaison  with  the 
flanks  was  obtained  without  delay. 


THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISIVIETTE  189 

Meanwhile,  flies  and  heat  waves  proved  more  bother- 
some dm^ing  those  days  in  dugout  land  than  German 
shells,  for  the  Huns  had  lost  their  accuracy  of  range  and 
merely  aimed  at  the  roads  and  whatever  traffic  happened 
along — in  this  way  causing  a  few  casualties  now  and 
then. 

Fismes  was  still  a  center  of  tumbling  buildings  and 
air  attacks  from  German  machines,  and  day  to  day  the 
beautiful  city  hall  in  the  heart  of  the  city  was  gradually 
reduced  by  shellfire.  But  the  flies  were  there  in  milHons ; 
every  time  the  marmite  cans  came  up  and  mess  was  dis- 
tributed big  bees  and  a  hundred  flies  swarmed  over  each 
mess  pan  and  its  contents — and  then  a  burning  sun 
blistered  things  and  made  it  almost  impossible  to  sleep 
at  night. 

On  the  23d  IVIajor  Smathers,  who  had  been  gassed 
in  action  during  the  fight  in  the  woods  near  Courpoil, 
returned  to  duty  and  appeared  delighted  to  get  back. 
He  said  he  had  been  sojourning  at  Vichy,  a  f anions 
health  resort  south  of  Paris.  "  It  feels  like  home,"  he 
said,  "  to  be  back  with  this  regiment;  wherever  the  112th 
is  in  France,  that  is  home  to  me,  and  it  seems  fine  to  be 
back  here  again." 

Just  as  I  poked  my  head  out  of  the  dugout  that 
morning,  Fritz  let  fly  ^vith  a  surprise  shot  that  buried 
itself  in  the  soft  mud  some  50  feet  from  the  little  alcove 
in  which  we  ate  our  breakfast.  ISIud  and  pebbles  were 
scattered  about;  one  window  in  the  Colonel's  car  was 
smashed  and  a  motorcycle  nearby  was  "v^Tccked,  but  five 


190  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

minutes  later  we  ate  our  breakfast  of  oatmeal,  milk, 
bacon  and  coffee  with  real  relish. 

Bombing  expeditions  by  German  planes,  the  usual 
harassing  fire  from  shrapnel  and  minor  engagements 
along  the  Vesle  went  down  on  record  for  the  next  three 
days.  On  the  25th,  which  was  Sunday,  Colonel  Rick- 
ards  quietly  observed  his  58th  birthday  in  his  dugout. 
It  was  also  Brigadier-General  William  Weigel's  birth- 
day, and  the  two  officers  had  planned  to  celebrate  it 
together. 

It  was  during  these  days  that  we  became  acquainted 
with  what  the  French  messenger  dogs  could  do;  care- 
fully trained  and  wonderfully  wide-awake,  they  made 
the  trip  to  Fismes  from  the  regimental  P.  C.  in  thir- 
teen minutes,  and  they  did  not  have  to  stop,  en  route. 
Shellfire  had  no  terror  for  them,  and  the  only  occasion 
on  which  they  made  any  noise  was  when  the  moon  came 
up.  Those  were  wonderfully  beautiful  nights  up  in  the 
dugout  land,  those  days  of  the  second  trick  along  the 
Vesle. 

But  the  days  were  unmercifully  hot,  and  despite  the 
hundreds  of  flies  that  swarmed  about  the  walls  and  dirt 
ceiling  of  the  little  funkholes  and  dugouts,  every  dough- 
boy who  could  was  mighty  glad  to  keep  under  cover, 
wrap  his  head  in  his  blouse  and  "  sound  off  "  for  a  sleep. 
It  was  only  in  this  way  that  he  could  get  any  rest.  Cooties 
were  just  then  beginning  to  make  themselves  obnoxious, 
and  they  added  to  the  bodily  misery  inflicted  by  the  warm 
August  sun. 


THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISMETTE  191 

On  August  21st  I  had  rolled  my  pack  and  gathered 
up  my  Corona  and  some  paper,  and  started  for  the  ad- 
vance P.  C.  That  night  the  Barron  brothers,  runners 
at  regimental,  helped  me  fix  up  a  dugout  office,  really  no 
more  than  an  enlarged  funkhole,  and  the  following  day, 
adjusted  to  the  situation,  I  wrote  home  as  follows: 

In  a  Dugout  up  the  Line, 

August  22,  1918. 

With  perspiration  rolling  down  my  face,  and  my  shirt  wet 
enough  to  provide  a  comfortable  bath  were  it  not  quite  so  warm — 
and  with  nicely  cut  tree  limbs  a  foot  overhead,,  allowing  a  filter  of 
soft  earth  to  trickle  down  your  neck  now  and  then  when  a  nearby 
giui  goes  off — I  realize  that  I  am  in  a  dugout.  And  the  dugout,  in 
the  parlance  of  the  game  over  here,  is  "  up  the  line." 

I've  slept  in  holes  in  the  ground,  mere  little  "  graves  "  or  shal- 
low shelters,  as  they  call  'em,  but  it  is  the  first  time  I've  ever  made 
my  home  in  a  little  4  X  ■i  dugout.  Dimensions  are  difficult,  for  it 
is  merely  a  nice  little  slit  in  the  wall,  in  which  to  recline  and  try 
to  snatch  some  sleep  between  barrages  at  night,  and  a  "  room  "  that 
measures  4  X  'I  feet,  and  isn't  5  feet  high.  It  is,  in  other  words, 
a  hole  in  the  ground,  and  you  crawl  in  and  out  just  as  if  you  were 
a  rabbit.  A  long  box  answers  as  a  cupboard,  clothes  chest,  desk  and 
everything,  and  holds  nothing  more  than  this  little  Corona,  my  mess 
kit,  a  towel,  some  soap  and  a  few  sheets  of  writing  paper.  The 
shelter-half  and  one  blanket,  placed  on  top  of  two  or  three  old 
empty  burlap  sacks  in  the  slit  in  the  wall,  provide  the  comfortable 
bed  of  which  I  spoke;  and  so  here  I  am,  guns  down  in  the  valley 
a  hundred  or  so  yards  away  sending  iron  greetings  to  Fritz,  and 
Fritz,  in  turn,  sending  over  a  return  barrage  that  makes  it  unsafe 
to  wander  outdoors  while  the  fireworks  are  in  progress. 

But  in  spite  of  the  heat,  the  intermittent  shelling,  an  occa- 
sional gas  alarm  and  the  persistent  biting  of  the  flies,  I  am  enjoying 
life  in  this  dugout.  There  is  a  certain  added  thrill  of  being  up 
the  line. 


192  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Something  of  the  appreciation  for  cigarettes  and 
chocolates  at  such  a  time  as  this  may  be  gleaned  from  the 
following  paragraphs  of  a  doughboy's  letter  to  a  friend 
back  home : 

You  remember  I  thought  I  would  never  smoke,  but  the  fact  of 
tlie  matter  is  I  don't  attempt  it  when  we  are  back  getting  a  rest 
under  circumstances  less  trying.  I  can  tell  the  difference  now  be- 
tween a  Camel,  Lucky  Strike  and  a  Nebo;  there  wasi  a  time  when 
they  all  looked  alike  to  me;  but  English  "  cigs/'  first  issued  when 
we  hit  this  country  of  Fran9aise,  cured  me.  There  is  a  distinction 
in  brands,  and  the  ones  I  have  named  are  those  most  readily  obtain- 
able in  this  sector.  Friendship  over  here  is  a  matter  of  cigarettes  oft- 
times — it  opens  the  pathway  to  conversation  with  the  stranger  who 
is  going  up  with  his  heavy  pack,  or  the  tired,  grimy-looking  fellow, 
with  a  week's  crust  of  dirt  on  him,  coming  out. 

Last  night  two  boxes  of  real  American  chocolates  (in  the  tin 
cans  which  are  sold  by  the  U.  S.  Commissary  at  54  cents)  were  sent 
to  the  hospital  boys  at  the  first-aid  station,  which  is  near  here.  They 
passed  the  chocolates  around,  and  how  good  they  tasted;  they  were 
the  first  ones  I  had  had  for  nearly  two  weeks;  we  get  the  idea  over 
here  that  we  aren't  soldiering  sometimes  unless  there  is  a  box  of 
chocolates  sticking  somewhere  in  the  pack. 

Best  of  all,  there  is  no  liquor  in  the  army;  and  it  cannot  be 
obtained  anywhere  in  this  sector.  The  light  wines  are  harmless,  and 
are  recommended  for  drinking  purposes,  but  as  yet  I  have  not 
touched  them,  and  intend  to  abstain,  despite  all  qualities  that  might 
be  claimed  in  their  behalf,  A  cleaner  bunch  of  fighting  men  no 
nation  ever  sent  into  action  than  our  own  boys. 

But  while  the  second  tour  of  duty  along  the  Vesle 
was  something  of  a  routine  nature,  in  comparison  with 
the  shock  of  real  battle  several  weeks  before,  yet  it  was 
no  vacation.  Jerry's  shellfire  was  as  much  on  the  job 
as  ever,  and  our  own  guns  were  by  no  means  inactive. 


THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISMETTE  198 

Cloud-creasing  and  retaliatory  fii-e  was  the  order  of  the 
day,  morning,  noon  and  night. 

And  early  on  the  morning  of  August  27th  hell  let 
loose  in  Fismette. 

Before  Companies  G  and  H  could  get  their  positions 
well  organized,  after  having  relieved  Companies  K  and 
I,  the  Germans  launched  a  surprise  attack  under  a  heavy 
barrage  that  cut  off  help  from  south  of  the  river  and  pre- 
vented many  of  the  S.  O.  S.  signals  and  flares  being  seen. 

The  story  of  Fismette  is  the  story  of  a  fluke.  Pri- 
marily, it  is  the  old,  old  story  of  trying  to  hold  a  bridge- 
head without  any  support  to  the  right  or  left. 

Colonel  Rickards  had  sized  up  the  situation  several 
days  before,  and  had  sent  word  to  Division  Headquar- 
ters in  an  effort  to  have  the  77th  Division  troops  to  the 
left  attack  and  gain  the  north  bank  of  the  Vesle,  as  well 
as  for  the  110th  Infantry  to  launch  a  strenuous  attack 
on  the  right  bank.  But  the  77th  Division  would  not 
make  the  assault,  and  in  due  com*se  of  time  one  of  its 
Brigade  Commanders,  in  charge  of  Vesle  River  opera- 
tions, was  reheved  and  sent  to  the  rear. 

On  the  afternoon  of  August  26th,  General  Robert 
Bullard,  then  in  command  of  the  Army  of  which  the  28th 
Division  was  a  part,  accompanied  Major-General  Muir 
to  the  advance  regimental  P.  C.  of  the  112th,  and  Colonel 
Rickards  explained  the  Fismette  situation  to  both,  ask- 
ing for  permission  to  withdraw  unless  attacks  could  be 
made  on  the  flanks,  thus  strengthening  the  bridgehead. 
General  Bullard  left,  promising  to  see  what  he  could  do. 

13 


194  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

But  meanwhile  the  Hun  attack  came,  just  as  Colonel 
llickards  had  predicted,  and  the  following  morning 
Companies  G  and  H  were  literally  wiped  out  as  fighting 
organizations  of  the  112th,  sustaining  casualties  of  60  to 
70  killed,  51  wounded  taken  prisoners,  and  88  un- 
wounded  also  captured;  this,  out  of  a  total  combined 
strength  in  Fismette  of  230  men  and  four  officers. 

Four  officers  were  lost  to  the  regiment;  one,  Lieut. 
Joseph  A.  Landry,  being  killed,  and  the  other  thi-ee — 
Lieutenants  Schmelzer,  i'redenburg  and  Young — being 
taken  prisoners.  Less  than  two-score  men  and  but  two 
officers.  Lieutenants  Ben  E.  Turner  and  George  Riggs, 
managed  to  return  to  the  south  bank  of  the  Vesle  and  tell 
what  little  they  knew  at  that  time  of  the  catastrophe. 

The  figures  given  here  regarding  the  casualties  were 
not  available  until  long  afterward,  when  the  three  cap- 
tured officers  made  their  way  back  to  the  112th  Infantry 
after  release  from  German  prison  camps,  in  December, 
1918.  That  in  itself  is  a  story  all  its  own.  Colonel  Rick- 
ards,  however,  closely  approximated  the  losses  in  his 
first  reports  to  Brigade  and  Division  Headquarters. 

Stationed  at  the  advance  regimental  P.  C.  the  morn- 
ing of  the  attack,  I  was  there  as  the  first  survivors  came 
back — some  water-soaked  through  swimming  across  the 
Vesle,  others  slightly  wounded  and  some  gassed.  Mj^ 
little  book  for  that  day  records  in  brief  the  details  then 
known  regarding  Fismette,  and  to  give  the  impression 
that  prevailed  at  that  time  I  take  the  liberty  of  quoting 
the  following  paragraphs: 


a 


3     CO 

"•  -I    'i 


2  -  " 


S.3    s 


—  —  K 

"  o  H 

c  C 

C  73 


SO    >-j 


'^?JM7#*^' 


o 


THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISMETTE  195 

The  Second  Battalion  took  up  the  Third  Battalion  positions  in 
the  front  line  along  the  Vesle  River  shortly  after  midnight.  After 
the  relief  had  been  effected,  and  G  and  H  Companies  were  trying 
to  establish  themselves  in  Fismette,  something  happened.  At  4.15, 
after  a  heavy  barrage  that  crept  down  the  hillside  and  through  the 
village,  the  enemy  made  an  attack.  The  boys,  either  outnumbered 
or  greatly  excited,  made  a  stand  for  an  hour  or  more,  and  then  fled. 
Some  were  captured,  a  number  killed  and  more  were  listed  as  miss- 
ing. Estimates  of  the  number  of  German  soldiers  engaged  vary; 
Colonel  Rickards  is  of  the  opinion  there  were  200  in  the  party  which 
swarmed  down  the  hillside  and  came  in  from  the  east  and  west. 

Some  Americans  fled  across  the  little  bridge  that  spans  the 
Vesle;  others  fought  where  they  stood,  in  the  shambles  of  houses, 
picking  off  the  Germans  with  automatic  rifles,  Eddystones  or  bombs. 
Potato  mashers  were  in  plentiful  use  by  the  Huns,  who  made  a  prac- 
tice of  throwing  them  in  the  doorways.  Men  were  everywhere — and 
the  dust  and  fog  were  so  great  that  the  survivors  stated  you  couldn't 
tell  an  American  from  a  German  without  looking  twice.  Seven  men, 
two  of  them  lieutenants,  were  interviewed  at  Regimental 
Headquarters. 

First,  G  Company  was  cut  off  from  its  positions  west  of  the 
bridge  street  and  then  Company  H  was  surrounded.  G  had  124  men 
and  H  about  106  in  the  battle;  how  many  returned  to  this  side  has 
not  been  definitely  established,  but  from  appearances  the  number 
is  not  great  (and  figures  later  bore  out  this  surmise),  though  there 
may  be  some  stragglers. 

Captain  Lucius  M.  Phelps,  of  Erie,  commanding  the  Second 
Battalion,  was  wounded  at  his  P.  C.  in  Fismes,  and  Capt.  Harry 
F.  Miller,  of  Meadville,  thereupon  took  command.  Lieut.  Mil  ford 
Fredenburg,  of  Company  H,  and  Lieut.  Edward  Schmelzer,  of  Com- 
pany G,  both  Company  Commanders,  were  taken  prisoners  in  the 
scrap,  as  well  as  Lieut.  Joseph  A.  Landry,  reported  to  have  been 
wounded.  As  near  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  fighting  in  Fismette 
continued  until  about  10  o'clock,  when  it  is  said  that  the  last  rem- 
nant of  H  Company  made  a  break  across  the  river.  Second  Lieut. 
Benjamin  E.  Turner,  Company  H,  who  was  wounded  in  the  arm. 


196  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FEANCE 

and  Second  Lieut.  Edward  Riggs,  of  the  same  company,  were  among 
the  first  to  make  statements,  following  their  arrival  at  the  Regimen- 
tal P.  C.  Other  men  who  were  survivors  were  questioned  during 
the  day. 

The  loss  of  Lieutenants  Fredenburg  and  Schmelzer  will  be  felt 
by  the  regiment,  as  they  are  two  of  the  best  officers  we  have.  One 
body  of  men,  said  to  number  20,  were  seen  going  over  the  hill  in 
charge  of  German  guards  at  1 1  o'clock.  It  was  thought  these  were 
some  of  our  men,  taken  captive  in  the  early  morning  scrap. 

It  will  be  noted  from  this  description  that  nothing 
was  known  regarding  Second  Lieut.  Albert  A.  L. 
Young,  of  Company  G.  News  that  Lieut.  Landry  was 
killed  did  not  come  until  after  the  armistice  was  signed. 

Lieut.  Turner,  at  the  time  of  the  attack  by  the  Ger- 
mans on  Fismette,  was  one  of  the  newest  officers,  but  he 
made  good  and  demonstrated  courage  under  trying  con- 
ditions.   The  story,  in  part,  as  he  related  it  then,  follows : 

The  night  was  normal.  The  barrage  of  the  enemy  opened  just 
before  daylight.  I  did  not  look  at  my  watch,  and  it  continued  for 
20  or  25  minutes. 

They  started  with  machine  guns ;  the  Boche  seemed  to  have  put 
them  in  place  during  the  night;  then  they  used  grenades.  On  my 
extreme  right  I  had  the  flank  protected  by  two  automatic  rifles  in  a 
shell  hole  in  the  orchard  between  the  line  of  houses  and  the  Vesle 
River.  The  major  portion  of  my  garrison  was  in  the  house.  The  Ger- 
mans worked  into  the  town  from  the  east  and  northeast,  through  the 
woods  and  ditches.  Every  one  of  the  ditches  seemed  to  have  a  machine 
gun  emplacement  in  it.  Every  time  we  stuck  our  heads  out  they  would 
open  up.  The  narrow-gauge  railroad  at  this  point  was  swept  all  the 
time  by  machine  gun  fire. 

We  held  out,  however,  without  any  trouble  until  5.30,  when 
we  heard  a  lot  of  shouting.  At  the  same  time  I  looked  out  and  saw 
men  running  across  the  bridge  into  Fismes.     There  were  probably 


THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISMETTE  197 

20  or  25  of  them  that  I  saw.  Somebody  came  running  down  the 
yard  then  and  said  the  whole  left  flank  of  our  positions  in  Fismette 
had  given  way  (meaning  Company  G)  and  that  Lieut.  Fredenburg 
and  the  whole  platoon  were  prisoners.  His  was  the  second  platoon. 
All  the  time  the  Boche  were  coming  in.  I  had  several  of  my  men 
killed.    The  enemy  had  snipers  in  ruins  of  houses  and  in  the  trees. 

Lieut.  Turner,  his  wound  in  the  arm  yet  undressed, 
and  now  and  then  gasping  for  breath  because  of  being 
gassed,  was  barely  able  to  talk  above  a  whisper.  His  uni- 
form was  torn,  his  face  was  haggard,  and  he  looked 
wholly  unable  to  continue  his  story,  but  he  kept  on : 

Some  time  after  the  other  platoon  gave  way,  my  own  platoon  com- 
menced to  give,  and  the  major  portion  of  the  platoon  came  rimning 
down  into  the  back  yard  of  the  building ;  they  cried  out  as  they  went  by 
that  two  companies  of  Germans  were  coming,  and  that  everybody  was 
to  look  out  for  himself.  I  could  not  get  out  to  stop  them.  They  were 
absolutely  panic-stricken.     They  went  across  the  river  at  the  dam. 

That  left  me  with  about  15  men.  I  had  the  P.  C.  and  the  houae 
next  to  it.  I  brought  in  the  automatic  rifles  because  they  were  being 
sniped  at.  Then  we  held  the  one  house.  I  told  my  men  they  could 
go  back  if  they  wanted  to,  but  I  would  stay,  as  I  cannot  swim.  "The 
boys  all  stayed.  We  took  up  that  position  at  7  o'clock,  and  stayed 
there  until  after  10. 

When  the  Germans  started  shelling  the  house,  I  saw  the  la«l 
chance  was  to  go  do^vn  to  the  dam  in  the  rear.  The  woods  were  full 
of  snipers.  Not  a  shot  was  fired  at  the  men  as  they  crossed  the 
river  at  the  dam,  however,  and  when  I  went  across  only  four  or  five 
shots  went  by,  some  of  them  hitting  the  woodwork  of  the  dam.  They 
were  snipers'  bullets,  not  machine  guns.  All  eight  men  left  with  me 
got  across. 

Lieut.  Turner,  speaking  of  casualties  in  his  platoon, 
said  that  seven  of  his  men  were  killed  in  the  orchard  be- 
hind the  house.     First  three  were  killed  and  another 


198  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

slightly  wounded.  Three  ran  to  his  side,  thinking  they 
could  get  him  across  the  river.  All  were  killed,  includ- 
ing the  wounded  man,  by  machine  guns  that  swept  the 
crossing. 

It  was  Second  Lieut.  George  Riggs,  another  Com- 
pany H  officer,  who  really  brought  the  first  story  of  the 
surprise  attack,  declaring  that  the  Germans  not  only 
used  machine  guns  freely  in  the  streets  of  Fismette,  but 
advanced  with  liquid  fire.    He  said : 

As  soon  as  the  barrage  lifted,  the  Germans  began  to  pour  down 
between  combat  groups,  which  were  located  in  the  second  stories  of 
the  houses.  We  opened  fire,  threw  hand  grenades  from  the  entrances 
to  the  cellars,  and  ran  across  the  courtyard  to  the  street,  thinking  that 
the  bunch  across  there  had  formed  a  line  along  the  street.  There 
was  no  line  there,  however,  and  the  Germans  were  coming  up  the 
street  towards  the  east  with  liquid  fire,  shooting  at  the  houses  on  the 
■outh  side  of  the  road.    We  killed  the  first  two  liquid  fire  men. 

A  post  of  about  four  Germans  was  in  a  shack  in-  front  of  the 
bridge.  I  think  we  killed  them  all;  we  silenced  them  anyhow.  The 
Germans  continued  to  pour  down,  however;  we  were  at  a  place  just  in 
front  of  the  bridge  then.  Two  of  my  men  had  been  automatic  rifle- 
men, but  had  no  rifles  and  were  wounded.  We  were  outnumbered  on 
each  flank,  and  we  withdrew.  It  was  getting  light,  and  we  crossed 
the  bridge  under  cover  of  a  dense  smoke.  Then  we  continued  along 
the  road  to  the  railroad.  When  the  enemy  started  bombarding  Fismes, 
we  lay  in  holes  along  the  railroad  for  fifteen  minutes,  then  started 
out  to  find  some  of  the  companies. 

Both  officers  declared  they  knew  absolutely  nothing 
of  a  heavy  barrage  said  to  have  been  laid  down  by  the 
77th  Division. 

In  addition  to  the  two  officers,  five  enhsted  men  told 
their  story  that  day.    These  were :  Corp.  Frank  Motley 


THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISIVIETTE  199 

and  Pvt.  Bernard  Spellen,  of  Company  H ;  and  Privates 
C.  H.  Wright,  Harris  Peters  and  Fay  A.  Holman,  of 
Company  G.  The  last  two  did  not  arrive  at  Regimental 
Headquarters  until  nightfall;  the  others  reported  and 
told  their  story  before  their  clothes  had  had  time  to  dry 
or  they  had  anything  to  eat. 

It  was  jMotley  who  paid  tribute  to  the  splendid  cour- 
age of  Lieut.  Turner,  who  was  probably  the  last  man 
to  leave  Fismette  ahve. 

"  We  fellows  stuck  it  out,  and  had  to  swim  across 
the  river,"  Motley  said.  "  The  Lieutenant  had  told  us 
to  stand  and  hold  our  position,  and  we  did.  Fellows  from 
another  platoon  came  running  across  and  said  the  Huns 
were  capturing  our  men.  Then  the  Lieutenant  said: 
*  You  fellows  beat  it  across  the  river  and  I  will  stay  here 
with  the  sergeants  until  you  get  across.*  The  Germans 
were  holding  the  bridge  at  that  time,  so  we  had  to  swim. 
I  don't  know  whether  the  Lieutenant  succeeded  in  get- 
ting across  or  not." 

Two  of  the  best  stories  told  that  day,  and  the  ones 
which  appeared  to  be  borne  out  later  by  the  facts  dis- 
closed upon  the  return  of  the  captured  officers — four 
months  after  the  disaster — were  those  of  Privates 
AVright  and  Spellen.  Private  Wright's  story  was  sub- 
stantially as  follows  :- 

It  was  the  wickedest  barrage  I  ever  saw,  starting  about  4. SO,  and 
continuing  for  fifteen  minutes,  then  advancing.  We  held  our  ground 
until  it  took  the  roof  off,  and  then  we  went  downstairs  and  kept  up 
our  observation  there  while  in  the  building. 


200  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

But  we  couldn't  do  much  observation  because  of  smoke  and  fog. 
Then  Jerry  came  down  in  big  numbers — seemed  to  be  a  sort  of  mob 
rule,  with  no  organization.  They  seemed  to  be  concentrating  on  this 
one  post.  We  pulled  out  of  the  rear  of  the  building  and  dropped 
down.  Some  of  our  fellows  were  still  in  dugouts  on  account  of  the 
barrage^  and  we  told  them  to  get  out  of  there.  One  of  the  men  ran 
towards  company  headquarters  to  tell  Lieut.  Schmelzer,  and  each 
man  then  made  a  fighting  position  for  himself. 

Private  Goodyear  came  from  the  headquarters  with  the  word  that 
Lieut.  Schmelzer  said:  "  Stand  and  fight."  So  we  turned  back,  and 
just  as  three  of  us  were  going  out  the  door  of  the  court,  a  bomb 
dropped  in  front.  It  hit  Corp.  Lightner,  who  fell  on  me.  We 
bumped  into  two  men  from  H  Company.  Then  I  saw  another  sol- 
dier near  us;  I  thought  he  might  be  an  American.  But  his  helmet 
came  do-wn  over  his  ears,  and  he  had  a  potato  masher  in  his  hand. 
I  pulled  the  lock  on  the  rifle  and  pulled  the  trigger,  but  there  was 
nothing  in  the  chamber,     I  managed  to  load  somehow,  and  shot  him. 

The  Germans  came  up  in  columns  of  twos,  bombing  all  the  way. 
I  took  a  bomb  from  the  corporal  and  threw  it;  in  the  shuffle  that  fol- 
lowed I  lost  my  rifle;  I  reached  for  it,  and  it  was  gone.  Then  I 
hurried  back.  I  found  myself  in  a  courtyard;  I  went  out  one  door 
and  saw  Germans;  went  out  another  and  saw  more  of  them.  I 
ducked  into  a  doorway  and  stood  there;  a  bomb  exploded  not  far 
away.  Then  I  saw  one  of  our  men ;  he  was  calling  for  Lieut.  Landry. 
I  saw  Lieut.  Schmelzer  busy  with  a  wounded  man  about  that  time. 
The  Boche  had  us  pretty  well  surrounded.  We  got  down  near  the 
river  and  took  up  a  position.  One  German  came  towards  us  and  we 
got  him,  then  another,  and  so  we  picked  them  off"  for  awhile.  We 
started  cross-firing  then  and  got  more.  That  is  where  we  were 
when  the  boys  started  surrendering.  Then  we  beat  it  to  the  river 
bank,  and  the  only  thing  for  us  to  do  was  to  run  the  bridge  then. 
One  man  swam  the  river  and  was  wounded.  There  were  five  of  us 
who  ran  for  it,  and  we  got  out  safely. 

We  ran  up  the  street  (in  Fismes)  until  it  turned.  We  knew  E 
and  F  were  in  support;  we  looked  for  them.    We  saw  two  H  men, 


THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISIVIETTE  201 

but  they  knew  nothing  of  E  and  F.  All  I  can  say  is  that  there 
wasn't  much  organization  in  that  fight.  There  were  men  all  around, 
coming  out  of  holes,  doors  and  windows  into  the  street.  The  Amer- 
icans and  Germans  were  mixed  up.  We  had  to  look  hard  through 
the  fog  to  make  out  whether  it  was  our  o'wn  man  or  a  Boche. 

Spellen,  a  hardly  little  fighter  of  Company  H,  told 
how  he  had  to  swim  the  Vesle  for  his  life,  after  his  pla- 
toon, occupying  an  exposed  position  to  the  east  of  the 
bridge  street  in  Fismette,  had  been  subjected  to  hea\y 
fire.    He  said: 

We  had  two  positions  there;  one  was  a  kind  of  cellar-way,  and 
the  otiier  was  at  the  top  of  the  steps.  We  waited  until  the  barrage 
lifted,  and  then  watched  the  road  in  front  of  us.  The  corporal  on 
the  automatic  rifle  said,  "  There  comes  one  now,"  and  he  fired,  get- 
ting him.  Then  the  Boche  grew  thicker  and  thicker,  they  came 
from  everywhere — holes  in  the  walls,  doors,  windows,  alleyways,  and 
down  the  street,  wherever  there  was  a,  chance  for  them  to  get  in. 
We  stood  there  and  fired. 

An  order  came  down  the  street  which  said:  "  They  have  all  sur- 
rendered." I  couldn't  understand  that  very  well.  Things^ were 
pretty  much  mixed  up.  I  had  seen  some  of  our  men  going  across  the 
bridge;  then  I  saw  three  of  the  Dutch  go  across,  and  then  I  saw  a 
number  of  our  men  in  charge  of  German  guards.  I  knew  then  that 
it  was  our  men,  not  the  Germans,  who  were  surrendering.  There 
had  been  a  few  of  our  fellows  who  swam  the  river  before  that.  Then 
the  Corporal  said:  "  We  might  as  well  try  to  get  away."  We  ran  into 
Lieut.  Turner,  and  he  said  he  wanted  men  to  go  for  reinforcements, 
others  to  stay  and  fight  with  him.  I  went  back  and  stayed  there. 
After  awhile  he  said,  "  Some  of  you  can  try  to  get  over,  and  see  if 
you  can  get  help."  \Mien  he  told  us  that,  I  ran  do^vn  to  the  river, 
jumped  in  and  swam  across.  I  ran  into  Company  E  and  told  them 
about  it.  They  sent  a  runner  from  the  platoon  to  company  head- 
quarters, and  then  I  don't  know  what  happened. 


202  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Spellen,  asked  how  many  Germans  he  thought  were 
in  the  attacking  party,  answered: 

"  About  a  thousand.  We  piled  them  up  something 
awful  as  they  came.  One  little  machine  gunner  laid 
them  down  as  fast  as  they  advanced." 

Both  Peters  and  Holman,  from  Company  G,  also 
declared  the  112th  boys  "  piled  up  the  Germans  "  before 
making  a  break,  and  Peters  in  his  story  told  of  the  low- 
flying  Hun  aeroplane  that  swept  the  Fismette  streets 
with  machine  gun  fire. 

"  Sometimes  it  was  flying  about  half  the  height  of 
a  house  over  the  fields  and  around  the  river,"  he  added. 

In  studying  the  situation  at  Fismette  and  what  hap- 
pened that  morning  of  August  27th,  it  is  well  to  keep 
in  mind  that  the  heavy  part  of  the  fighting  took  place 
along  the  east-and-west  thoroughfare  and  on  the  street 
joining  it  at  right  angles  several  hundred  yards  west  of 
what  is  known  as  the  **  bridge  street,"  through  which 
troops  entered  the  town  in  crossing  from  Fismes.  Com- 
pany H  held  the  territory  east  of  the  bridge  street,  and 
a  small  section  on  the  other  side;  the  remainder  of  the 
town  in  American  hands,  west  of  the  bridge  street,  was 
held  by  Company  G. 

But  the  full  story  of  what  happened  in  Fismette  was 
really  shrouded  in  mysteiy  until  Lieuts.  Schmelzer, 
Fredenburg  and  Young  returned  late  in  December  from 
German  prison  camps  at  Rastatt,  Villingen  and  Karls- 
ruhe, and  told  their  story.  They  established  the  impor- 
tant points  that : 


THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISMETTE  203 

Lieut.  Joseph  A.  Landry  had  died  fighting  at  the 
west  end  of  the  main  thoroughfare,  with  German  dead 
strewn  about  him. 

The  attack  on  Fismette  was  made  by  a  force  of  a 
thousand  picked  shock  troops  from  the  Aisne  River, 
rushed  by  trucks  overnight  to  positions  behind  Fismette, 
there  awaiting  the  hfting  of  the  barrage  to  attack. 

The  exact  extent  to  which  Companies  G  and  H 
suffered. 

No  one  thought  of  surrendering  until  it  was  apparent 
that  no  help  was  coming  from  the  south  bank  of  the  river. 

The  77th  Division  launched  an  attack,  but  failed 
in  the  attempt  to  get  across  the  Vesle. 

These  were  the  facts  they  presented  to  Colonel  Rick- 
ards  and  a  group  of  officers,  composing  the  Regimental 
Staff,  when  they  reached  Buxieres  more  than  a  month 
after  the  armistice  signing.  Though  the  story  is  not  in 
chronological  order,  it  is  presented  here  for  the  purpose 
of  giving  a  complete  account  of  the  Fismette  affair. 
Schmelzer  returned  to  find  himself  promoted  to  a  cap- 
taincy and  assigned  to  Company  G ;  Lieut.  Fredenburg, 
shortly  afterward  made  a  captain,  was  returned  to  Com- 
pany H;  and  Second  Lieut.  Albert  A.  L.  Young,  of 
Pittsburgh,  was  sent  to  Company  G  for  duty. 

All  three  made  it  plain  that  the  112th  boys  fought  to 
the  last  ditch,  bowling  over  the  attacking  Germans  until 
they  lay  in  groups  about  the  street.  There  were  41<  Ger- 
mans  about  the  area  in  which   Lieut.   Landry  died. 


204  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Landry  was  firing  away,  a  loaded  pistol  in  each  hand, 
when  he  was  cut  down  by  a  German  sniper's  fire. 

And  here  in  detail  is  the  story  as  they  told  it  that 
night  of  December  22d.    Captain  Schmelzer  stated: 


It  was  about  4.15  that  morning  (August  27th)  when  they  started 
to  shell  us.  Lieut.  Landry  had  just  left  the  company  P.  C.  for  the 
platoon  P.  C.  after  giving  me  the  disposition  of  his  men — as  he  had 
placed  them  after  Captain  Jenkins  and  Captain  Leetch  had  departed 
and  the  relief  had  been  completed. 

My  left  flank  was  absolutely  imguarded.  There  was  a  gap  be- 
tween us  and  the  77th  Division  on  our  left,  and  also  a  gap  from  the 
river  to  the  automatic  rifle  group  which  was  about  300  yards  from 
the  nearest  group  on  the  right.  I  said  to  Lieut.  Landry  then, 
"  We've  got  to  make  a  change  at  daylight,  and  take  care  of  these 
gaps."  He  agreed  with  me,  and  then  left,  saying  he  didn't  think 
there  was  much  danger  of  the  Germans  doing  anything  that  night. 
I  was  just  making  out  my  morning  report  when  they  started  to  shell. 

Just  before  daylight  they  made  the  first  attack.  The  boys  drove 
them  off,  and  went  back  into  the  buildings  again.  Then  there  was 
another  period  of  shelling  for  about  thirty  minutes.  Then  the  Ger- 
mans, instead  of  coming  in  from  the  front,  attacked  from  the  flank; 
they  drove  a  wedge  between  the  company  P.  C.  and  the  platoon  P.  C. 
I  couldn't  get  in  touch  with  any  group  and  I  lost  every  runner  I  had 
in  the  attempt.  They  simply  surrounded  one  group  of  men  after 
another. 

They  got  me  between  9  and  10  o'clock  that  morning.  Lieutenant 
Young  was  on  the  extreme  left  when  the  Germans  started  to  work 
in,  and  they  got  the  first  automatic  rifle  squad  at  6.30.  Then  the 
Germans  surrounded  one  group  after  another  imtil  they  had  re- 
gained the  whole  town.  But  meanwhile,  our  boys  were  doing  plenty 
of  damage.  I  am  positive  we  killed  at  least  a  hundred  Dutchmen, 
for  I  counted  44  myself  in  a  corner  of  the  street. 

After  the  first  attack  had  been  made  and  the  boys  had  driven  the 


THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISMETTE  205 

Germans  off,  I  sent  up  three  flares  for  a  barrage,  but  I  never  got  it. 
One  battery  of  75s  sent  a  few  shells  over,  about  a  half  dozen,  I  guess, 
but  that  was  all  the  shelling  we  got.  I  expected  help  from  the 
Battalion  Commander,  but  there  was  nothing  coming  from  the  other 
side  of  the  river.  Then  the  Germans  got  in  behind  us;  at  the  same 
time  they  drove  in  a  wedge,  placed  a  machine  gun  on  the  main  street 
leading  to  the  bridge,  and  we  could  not  get  anybody  across.  I  had 
14  men  in  my  P.  C.  The  last  man  I  sent  was  Green;  if  any  others 
got  across  I  do  not  know. 

Captain  Schmelzer  did  not  know,  of  course,  that 
Captain  (later  Major)  Lucius  M.  Phelps,  in  command 
of  the  2d  Battalion,  had  been  wounded  in  Fismes  during 
the  heavy  German  barrage  that  morning  and  was  on  his 
way  to  the  rear.  And  in  view  of  the  circumstances  and 
the  heavy  shell  screen  between  Fismes  and  Fismette,  the 
Commanders  of  E  and  F  Companies,  lying  in  trenches 
south  of  the  Vesle,  had  little  if  any  idea  of  the  tragedy 
taking  place  in  the  suburb  of  Fismette,  only  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  to  the  north. 

Outnumbered  at  least  five  to  one  by  the  force  of  Ger- 
mans fresh  from  the  Aisne,  the  men  of  Companies  G 
and  H  put  up  a  brave  but  gradually  losing  fight.  As  the 
minutes  went  by  and  the  Hun  barrage  lifted,  the  battle 
gave  way  to  machine-gun  fighting  on  the  part  of  the 
Germans,  intermingled  with  sniping  and  automatic  rifle 
work  on  the  part  of  the  American  fighters.  Then  as  the 
fight  continued,  and  one  group  after  another  was  en- 
circled by  forces  that  greatly  outnumbered  them,  it  was 
the  hand-to-hand  stuff. 


206  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Captain  Schmelzer  continued : 

A  sergeant  and  two  privates  from  H  Company  who  were  cap- 
tured in  a  shellhole  near  the  bridge,  stood  off  the  Germans  as  long 
as  they  could  and  were  taken  prisoners,  I  know  of  one  instance, 
where  one  little  group  was  surrounded.  All  the  ammunition  for  the 
Chauchat  rifles  was  gone.  The  men  were  on  the  point  of  fighting 
to  the  last  ditch  with  their  bare  hands.  Then  a  dark  form  appeared 
at  the  window;  a  German  machine  gun  was  thrust  in  place — and 
then  one  of  the  fellows  took  a  good  swing  with  his  rifle  and  brought 
the  butt  of  it  right  down  on  the  German's  head.  That  finished  him. 
The  ammunition  that  the  Hun  carried  was  used  to  good  advantage, 
and  in  a  second  the  German  machine  gun  was  doing  deadly  work 
in  the  street. 

But  as  daylight  came  and  no  help  arrived  from  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  the  boys  began  to  realize  they  were  playing  a  losing 
game.  The  toll  had  been  pretty  heavy.  Runners  sent  for  help  did 
not  return;  most  of  them,  no  doubt,  were  cut  down  under  machine 
gun  fire  as  they  tried  to  cross  the  river. 

I  didn't  expect  any  men  to  get  back,  in  fact.  You  couldn't  go 
into  the  street  without  being  fired  at.  They  had  a  machine  gun  on  our 
left  which  we  could  see  in  operation. 

We  were  simply  playing  a  waiting  game,  that  was  all.  Every 
man  was  fighting  for  himself — and  he  was  fighting.  Every  squad 
was  fighting  its  battle  and  doing  nobly.  We  had  an  automatic  rifle 
squad  up  the  street  and  another  firing  down  the  street,  thus  pro- 
tecting our  P.  C.  as  long  as  their  ammunition  lasted.  Then  we  had 
two  or  three  riflemen  in  the  rear. 

Things  continued  to  get  warmer  all  the  time.  Then  we  posted 
sharpshooters,  one  shooting  up  the  street  and  another  down.  Both  did 
good  work  from  the  shelter  of  an  old  barn  that  was  roofless.  But 
finally  the  Germans  got  to  them.  Lieutenant  Fredenburg  and  I,  a 
sergeant  and  an  orderly  were  the  only  ones  left  at  9  that  morning. 

"  Did  you  hear  anyone  advising  the  men  to  surrender?  "  asked 
Colonel  Rickards. 

"  No ;  the  only  time  that  I  heard  anything  that  might  be  consid- 


THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISMETTE  207 

ered  in  tliat  line  was  when  the  Germans  used  a  captured  H  Company 
man  as  a  shield.  He  came  down  the  street/'  Captain  Schmelzer  con- 
tinued, "  and  when  he  got  to  our  P.  C.  he  stuck  his  head  in  the  door: 
'  You'd  better  surrender,  the  town  is  full  of  Germans/  he  said.  I 
was  just  pulling  him  into  the  building  when  a  dozen  Germans  came 
rushing  in  right  after  him.  Our  boxes  of  grenades  were  gone,  our 
Chauchat  ammunition  was  long  since  exhausted.  All  we  had  left 
was  our  pistols,  and  I  don't  believe  even  then,  realizing  we  were  sur- 
rounded, that  we  would  have  given  in  had  it  not  been  for  the  fact 
that  the  Germans  took  us  by  surprise, 

"  We  played  for  time.  I  used  my  German  to  advantage  [few  offi- 
cers in  the  regiment  could  speak  the  language  as  fluently  as  Captain 
Schmelzer]  and  I  stalled  them  oft'.  They  were  nothing  but  young 
fellows.  I  joined  them,  and  under  several  pretexts  made  trips  to  the 
dugout  and  back.  I  saw  they  were  a  pretty  good  buncli,  but  I  didn't 
want  to  surrender  right  off  the  bat.  We  monkeyed  around  there  for 
the  better  part  of  half  an  hour;  I  was  hoping  every  minute  for  a 
counter-attack.  Then  we  became  convinced  that  it  was  a  losing  game. 
No  help  came  from  the  other  side  of  the  river.  Meanwhile,  our 
snipers  who  still  lived  were  picking  off  members  of  this  party;  every 
now  and  then  one  of  the  Germans  would  drop  dead  in  his  tracks. 
Finally,  we  just  had  to  give  in;  had  we  thought,  however,  that  help 
was  coming  Fredenburg  and  I  would  have  put  up  a  fight,  even 
against  odds  and  even  with  our  bare  fists." 

Captain  Schmelzer  related  how  four  men  whom  he 
had  sent  to  occupy  a  protecting  trench  near  the  P.  C. 
were  blown  to  pieces  by  one  direct  hit  from  a  German 
minnenwerfer.  "  I  knew  the  four  men  were  there,"  he 
said,  "  but  I  can't  recall  who  they  were.  Then  the  shell 
lit,  there  was  a  cloud  of  dirt  and  dust  and  a  horrible  scene 
followed.  All  that  was  left  of  those  four  fellows  was 
spattered  on  the  walls  of  the  courtyard." 

The  details  as  Captain  Schmelzer,  Lieutenant  Fre- 


208  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

denburg  and  Lieutenant  Young  recalled  and  outlined 
them  for  the  benefit  of  the  officers  proved  conclusively 
that  any  thought  that  "  green  soldiers  "  had  been  scared 
into  *'  surrendering  without  a  fight "  was  a  slur  on  the 
brave  spirit  of  the  men  who  fought  to  the  last  ditch. 

Down  in  a  corner  of  the  street,  with  Lieutenant 
Young,  was  Lieutenant  Landry.  Long  after  the  attack 
started,  Landry  was  firing  away  at  the  Huns,  bowling 
them  over  as  they  came.  One  pistol  wasn't  enough  and 
at  the  last,  with  the  street  literally  strewn  with  dead  and 
dying  Germans,  Landry — big  of  stature  and  full  of 
life — was  still  firing,  not  with  one  automatic,  but  with 
two,  blazing  away.  Then  a  German  sniper  picked  him 
off,  and  Landry  fell  to  rise  no  more. 

From  both  sides  of  the  building  came  the  Huns.  Young  and  the 
few  men  with  him  who  still  lived  were  caught;  there  was  no  chance 
to  get  away.    This  was  about  6.30  in  the  morning. 

"  Have  you  any  idea  how  many  prisoners  were  taken  there  ?" 
queried  Colonel  Rickards. 

"  They  got  22  wounded  and  62  unwounded  of  my  men,  G  Com- 
pany," Captain  Schmelzer  said.  "I  had  124  men  in  the  town;  the 
total  strength  of  the  company  at  the  time  was  l65  or  166  men,  but 
there  were  some  back  at  the  kitchens,  some  as  battalion  runners  and 
others  had  been  dropped  off  for  liaison  purposes." 

"  As  for  Company  H,"  Lieutenant  Fredenburg  said,  "  we  lost  24 
men  as  prisoners  who  were  not  wounded,  and  29  who  were  hit  by 
sihrapnel  or  machine  guns  were  also  taken.  This  made  a  total  of  53. 
We  had  a  total  of  106  men  in  the  front  line  in  Fismette  when  the 
relief  of  Company  I  was  completed  that  morning." 

Neither  officer  knew  the  exact  number  kiUed,  but 
estimated  it  between  60  and  70. 


THE   TRAGEDY  AT  FISMETTE  209 

Captain  Schmelzer  in  his  story  confirmed  the  state- 
ment made  the  morning  of  the  attack  by  Lieutenant  Ben 
Turner,  of  Company  H,  who  fought  his  way  across  the 
Vesle  and  was  wounded,  that  the  Germans  used  flame- 
throwers and  hquid  fire  in  the  attack. 

"  These  men  made  particularly  good  targets  and  our  men  cut 
them  down  in  short  order,"  Schmelzer  said. 

Even  after  we  were  captured  and  the  Germans  were  marching  us 
up  the  hill,  one  American  continued  to  pick  our  guard  off.  I  saw  a 
blue  spot  in  one  Hun's  temple  and  he  crumpled  up ;  then  another  one 
on  the  other  side  of  me  dropped.  Then  I  saw  a  piece  of  a  head  go 
by  and  another  German  fell,  and  still  another  soldier  gave  a  shriek 
and  fell  a  crumpling  mass  on  the  street.  I'd  like  to  meet  that  game 
American  sniper  some  day,  believe  me. 

Capt.  Ignatius  J.  Meenan,  of  Ridgway,  Supply 
Officer  of  the  regiment,  said  that  the  man  was  Sergeant 
Jimmy  Moore,  of  Company  H,  whose  name  is  now  on 
the  roll  of  honored  dead.  Moore  succeeded  later  in  beat- 
ing liis  way  to  safety  across  the  river,  but  he  had  bpen 
badly  gassed  and  when  sent  to  a  hospital  in  the  rear,  did 
not  live  long  afterward.  Moore,  however,  told  Captain 
Meenan  (then  a  lieutenant)  how  he  had  picked  off  the 
Germans  as  they  escorted  the  two  officers.  Captain 
Schmelzer  and  Lieutenant  Fredenburg,  to  the  rear.  He 
killed  seven  Germans  in  seven  minutes. 

Stories  of  the  heavy  toll  taken  of  the  Germans  were 
also  corroborated,  not  only  by  Captain  Schmelzer  and 
Lieutenant  Fredenburg,  but  by  Lieutenant  Young  as 
well.    It  was  Lieutenant  Young  who  distinguished  him- 

14 


210  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

self  in  the  attack  on  Hill  20^.  He  wiped  up  three  Ger* 
mans  with  a  hand  grenade  when  they  surrounded  him, 
and  then,  when  attacked  again,  fought  his  way  out, 
though  his  arm  was  crippled.  It  is  a  coincidence  that  he 
was  sent  back  to  the  regiment  just  four  days  before  the 
surprise  attack  on  Fismette  took  place. 

That  the  Germans  had  prepared  four  days  in  ad- 
vance for  the  raid  on  Fismette  was  the  information  the 
Huns  themselves  gave  to  the  captured  officers  when  they 
were  sent  to  Division  Headquarters  on  the  Aisne  River. 

"  When  they  found  out  that  Schmelzer  and  Fredenburg  were  our 
German-sounding  names,  tlae  Huns  picked  up  their  ears,"  Captain 
Schmelzer  said.  "  Then  when  they  found  I  could  speak  German  as 
well  as  English,  they  opened  their  eyes  wide.  Meanwhile,  I  learned 
a  lot  on  our  way  back.  The  German  commander  told  me  he  had 
prepared  for  this  raid  for  four  days.  '  It  was  the  German  supposi- 
tion,' he  said,  '  that  most  of  our  men  succeeded  in  getting  out  of 
Fismette,'  but  that  was  a  bluft'.  He  told  me  there  were  fully  a 
thousand  Germans  in  the  raiding  party  [this  in  itself  was  news  to  tlie 
oflScers  of  the  112th  Infantry,  who  had  heard  there  were  only  200 
Germans  in  the  rush]  and  that  these  had  been  brought  in  motor 
trucks  from  the  Aisne  River  that  night. 

"  The  Germans  who  held  Fismette  did  not  participate  in  the  at- 
tack on  our  troops;  they  did,  however,  repel  the  raid  of  the  77th 
Division  men  to  the  west  of  us." 

The  news  of  the  77th's  attack  was  something  of  a  nov- 
elty to  the  112th's  officers.  Colonel  Rickards  let  it  be 
known  that  he  had  asked  for  protection  on  the  left  flank ; 
he  had  even  asked  permission  to  withdraw  from  Fismette 
until  such  protection  could  be  given. 


THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISMETTE  211 

We  were  taken  to  Division  Headquarters  on  the  Aisne  (the 
Captain  said).  "That  was  9  to  1 1  kilometers  from  Fismette.  We 
stayed  there  until  7  that  night.  There  were  some  men  from  the 
77th  there,  including  Captain  Adams,  and  with  Lieutenant  Young 
we  were  all  taken  to  St.  Erme.  Captain  Adams,  Lieutenant  Young, 
Lieutenant  Fredenburg  and  myself  were  put  into  an  automobile  and 
sent  on. 

It  was  then  that  Captain  Adams  told  me  of  the  attack  launched 
by  the  306th  Infantry.  It  failed.  The  77th  crossed  the  river,  but  were 
driven  back.  Captain  Adams  got  his  orders  for  the  attack  at  2 
o'clock  the  morning  of  August  27th.  The  Germans  had  been  ex- 
pecting such  a  move,  and  gave  them  hell.  The  77th  attack  was 
launched  about  the  time  the  Germans  started  their  heavy  barrage. 
Only  one  or  two  platoons  got  across  the  river,  and  they  were  driven 
back,  while  1 8  or  20  men  of  the  306th  were  captured. 

The  German  Adjutant  at  Division  Headquarters  told  me  that 
the  attack  was  repulsed  by  the  German  troops  in  Fismette,  and  that 
the  ones  who  participated  in  the  two  attacks  on  our  men  were  brought 
from  the  Aisne  River  in  motor  trucks  especially  for  the  purpose.  It 
was  their  aim  to  drive  us  back  across  the  river.  There  were  dugouts 
already  prepared  for  them,  about  the  hill  back  of  Fismette  and  near 
the  river  bank.  The  first  attack  on  the  front  failing,  the  second  was 
launched  on  the  flank,  and  you  know  the  rest  of  the  story. 

What  surprised  me  most  were  the  details  that  the  Germans  knew 
regarding  our  organization.  The  Adjutant  seemed  to  know  more 
about  the  disposition  of  our  own  troops  than  I  did.  He  told  me  that 
Colonel  Rickards  was  in  command  of  the  112th  and  that  Colonel 
Shannon  was  in  charge  of  the  111th. 

A  German  boy  who  could  talk  English  also  told  me  that  he  had 
eaten  in  my  mess  line  the  night  before,  and  to  prove  it  he  told  me 
just  what  we  had  for  supper  and  all  about  it. 

He  had  come  over  in  an  American  uniform  and,  mingling  with 
the  replacements  which  we  had  recently  received,  had  secured  a  good 
piece  of  white  bread,  all  the  information  he  could  take  with  him  and 
got  safely  back. 


212  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

As  to  Landry,  Captain  Schmelzer  said: 

The  last  communication  I  had  from  poor  Landry  was  to  the  effect, 
"  WTiat  shall  I  do?"  I  answered,  "We  can't  do  anything  except 
fight  it  out."  The  runner  started  back  to  Landry.  Whether  he  made 
it  or  not  I  don't  know.  That  is  the  last  word  I  had  from  him.  We 
fought  to  the  last  ditch,  and  were  caught.  Fredenburg  was  wounded 
in  the  cheek,  but  the  rest  of  us  were  all  right.  We  didn't  learn  that 
Landry  was  dead  until  we  reached  German  Division  Headquarters 
and  met  Young,  and  he  told  us  Landry  had  died  a  hero's  death,  fight- 
ing to  the  end. 

Thus  was  the  mysten^  of  Fismette  cleared. 

A  thousand  fresh  German  shock  troops,  the  best  the 
Kaiser  had,  were  rushed  from  the  Aisne;  the  original 
force  in  Fismette  lay  dormant,  and  28th  Division  officers 
were  baffled  and  led  to  doubt  stories  of  the  few  survivors 
that  "  fully  a  thousand  Germans  swarmed  down  the  hill- 
side  and  from  everywhere." 

This  was  the  story  the  officers  themselves  told,  and 
had  it  been  available  shortly  after  the  catastrophe  instead 
of  four  months  later  it  might  have  aided  considerably  in 
plans  to  pay  the  Hun  back  in  his  own  coin. 

Before  noon  on  the  27th  Colonel  Rickards  had  pub- 
lished a  memorandum  which  stated: 

The  outpost  stationed  in  Fismette,  composed  of  Companies  G 
and  H,  was  attacked  this  morning  about  4  o'clock  by  what  is  an 
unknown  force.  Both  companies  suffered  from  the  enemy's  fire 
and  withdrew  to  the  south  side  of  the  river.  The  withdrawal  from 
Fismette  on  the  part  of  these  two  companies  was  but  little  less  than 
a  rout.  *  *  *  Let  the  casualties  and  the  capture  of  our  com- 
rades be  a  spur  to  greater  effort  on  our  part  to  overcome  the  enemy 
and  to  punish  him  three-fold  for  our  losses.  Every  officer  and  man 
of  the  1 1 2th  Infantry  must  do  his  full  duty. 


THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISMETTE  21S 

Without  delay  plans  were  set  afoot  for  the  recapture 
of  the  village  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Vesle,  and  on 
the  29th  Colonel  Rickards  issued  Secret  Field  Order  1 
and  published  it  for  all  organizations  concerned.  This 
provided  for  a  "  provisional  company  made  up  from 
officers  and  men  of  companies  other  than  those  on  the  out- 
post "  with  the  express  mission  of  retaking  Fismette. 

On  the  evening  of  August  29th  this  order  was  writ- 
ten and  made  ready  for  distribution.    It  read : 

Secret 

Headquarters  112th  Infantry, 

American  Expeditionary  Forces, 

France. 

Field  Orders  No.  1.  10  p.m.,  29  August,  1918. 

1.  The  eneniy  holds  FISMETTE  with  a  force,  strength  un- 
known, armed  with  machine  guns,  trench  mortars,  automatic  rifles 
and  rifles.  His  supporting  troops  are  entrenched  in  the  hillside  above 
FISMETTE.  Our  division  is  echeloned  in  the  area  within  the 
VESLE  RIVER  and  DRAVEGNY  and  covering  a  front  of  about 
2^/2  kilometers  east  and  west,  with  its  center  marked  by  the  south- 
western corner  of  FISMES. 

2.  The  2d  Battalion,  reinforced  by  a  provisional  company  of 
112th  Infantry,  Machine  Gun  Company  of  the  111th  Infantry,  one 
company  of  the  109th  Machine  Gun  Battalion,  and  trench  mortar 
platoon  of  this  regiment  and  the  one-pounder  platoons  of  the  111th 
and  112th  Infantries  will  attack  FISMETTE  on  D  day  at  H  hour. 

3.  (a)  A  provisional  company  made  up  from  officers  and  men 
of  companies  other  than  those  on  the  outpost  has  been  formed  with 
the  mission  of  retaking  FISMETTE.  Its  officers  are:  Robert  J. 
Jenkins,  Captain;  Joseph  P.  Council,  1st  Lt. ;  Frederick  L.  Pond, 
1st  Lt. ;  William  O.  Zacharias,  1st  Lt. ;  Charles  W.  Thomas,  1st  Lt. ; 
Rippey  T.  Shearer,   1st  Lt. ;   1   Sergeant,  3  Corporals,  20  enlisted 


214  VaTR  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

men  from  Companies  A,  B,  C,  D,  I,  K,  L  and  M  each;  a  roster  of 
the  non-conmcdssioned  officers  and  privates  will  be  published  by 
name  later, 

(b)  The  attack  will  be  made  by  the  provisional  company,  112th 
Infantry;  supported  by  the  elements  of  the  regiment  now  in  FISMES 
and  named  in  Paragraph  2. 

(c)  At  zero  hour  a  destructive  artillery  fire  will  be  put  down  on 
FISM'ETTE  and  will  be  held  stationary  until  zero  plus  15.  The 
fire  will  then  lift  to  a  point  300  meters  north  of  FISMETTE  and 
remain  stationary.  At  zero  plus  20  hour  the  provisional  company 
will  move  on  FISMETTE  over  the  ST.  GILLES-FISMES- 
FISMETTE  road  bridge. 

The  first  platoon,  after  crossing  the  bridge,  will  take  position 
imder  cover  of  the  first  building  on  the  west  side  of  the  street  and 
will  remain  there  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  in  the  consolidation  of 
a  success,  or  covering  a  retreat  of  our  troops  if  necessary  to  with- 
draw from  FISMETTE. 

The  second  platoon  will  continue  to  the  street  running  to  the 
northeast,  turning  to  the  right  on  this  street,  and  take  a  position 
covering  this  street  and  the  buildings  to  the  east. 

The  third  and  fourth  platoons,  under  command  of  Lieut.  Con- 
nell,  will  turn  west  on  the  main  street  of  FISMETTE,  each  drop- 
ping their  rear  squad  as  soon  as  entering  the  street,  where  they  will 
remain  as  a  covering  party.  Lt.  Connell  will  remain  with  these 
squads  and  direct  these  movements.  The  platoons  will  continue  to 
move  forward,  searching  out  and  destroying  the  enemy  as  he  is  met, 
the  third  platoon  on  the  north  and  the  fourth  platoon  on  the  south 
side  of  the  street. 

(d)  The  trench  mortar  platoon  will  take  position  at  coordinate 
204.9-286.7,  covering  to  west  limits  of  FISMETTE. 

The  37  mm.  platoon  composed  of  the  111th  and  112th  Infantries 
will  take  position  near  205.6-277-7  and  cover  the  area  from  the 
eastern  limits  of  FISMETTE. 

The  Machine  Gun  Company  of  the  111th  Infantry,  Captain 
Pollock,  will  take  position  near  206.4-286.0  and  direct  its  fire  north- 


THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISMETTE  215 

east  of  FISMETTE  between  205.5-206.0  on  a  line  not  farther  south 
than  287.5. 

The  machine  gun  platoon,  lOQth  Machine  Gun  Battalion,  will  take 
position  near  205.3-276.9,  covering  the  line  287.5  east  to  west  from 
205.5  to  204.8. 
F        Company  F  will  move  up  to  south  side  of  railway  embankment. 

Company  E  will  establish  a  strong  point  near  205.4-286.6,  send- 
ing out  strong  combat  patrols  forward  to  the  east  and  west  of  the 
main  street  through  FISMES. 

Company  H  will  form  a  right  flank  combat  patrol,  taking  posi- 
tion about  100  meters  in  rear  of  Company  F. 

4.  It  is  not  the  intention  of  the  Regimental  Commander  to  limit 
the  initiative  of  the  Commanding  Officer  and  platoon  commanders  of 
tlie  attacking  company  farther  than  to  assure  concerted  action  between 
each  unit.  The  details  for  the  cleaning  up  and  occupation  of 
FISMETTE  are  left  entirely  to  the  judgment  of  the  Commanding 
Officer  provisional  company. 

Liaison  must  be  maintained  between  the  supporting  elements  and 
attacking  company  and  the  platoons.  Each  officer  and  sergeant  will 
carry  a  whistle;  identification  will  be  by  one  short,  one  long  and 
one  short  blast  following  each  other  in  quick  succession.  Runneri 
will  accompany  each  company  and  platoon  commander,  the  jier- 
sonnel  of  which  will  be  furnished  from  outside  of  that  making  up 
the  provisional  company. 

5.  The  acting  Ordnance  Officer  of  the  regiment  will  be  respon- 
sible for  supplying  all  needed  ammunition,  hand  grenades,  rockets 
and  signal  appliances. 

6.  Dressing  stations  will  be  established  imder  direction  of  the 
Major  Surgeon,  who  will  provide  for  the  necessary  stretcher  bearers. 

By  order 

Colonel  Rick.\rds. 

In  transmitting  a  copy  of  this  order  to  the  Brigade 
Commander,  Colonel  Rickards  the  following  day  wrote : 


216  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

I  wish  to  call  attention  to  the  situation  as  it  now  is  in  relation  to 
my  troops  and  those  adjoining  me  on  the  right  and  left.  The  55th 
Brigade,  on  our  right,  has  its  left  connected  with  my  right,  but  from 
there  it  extends  in  the  direction  of  the  southeast  and  offers  but  little 
assistance  to  this  regiment.  The  S07th  Infantry,  on  my  left,  has 
one  company  in  contact  with  my  left  between  the  tannery  and  the 
west  line  of  our  division  sector.  The  next  element  of  the  307th  is 
to  the  southwest,  somewhere  about  Le  Grand  Savart,  and  could  be 
of  no  assistance. 

Before  putting  the  enclosed  order  in  effect,  it  is  my  opinion  that 
the  forces  on  my  right  and  left,  the  110th  and  307th  Infantries,  re- 
spectively, should  be  brought  forward  to  a  line  of  my  advance  troops. 
Otherwise,  the  enterprise  is  most  likely  to  fail. 

Officers  and  men  of  the  1 1 2th  Infantry  are  extremely  anxious  to 
regain  the  ground  lost  at  FISMETTE,  but  unless  we  can  have  the 
support  of  our  flanking  elements,  feel  that  it  is  a  hopeless  task  to 
regain  this  ground  as  it  was  to  hold  it  without  their  cooperation. 

Part  of  the  "  getting  ready  "  game  was  an  American 
gas  attack  on  Fismette  on  the  morning  of  the  28th.  The 
Yanks  sent  their  new  gas  into  the  ravine  northeast  of  the 
village ;  the  wind  was  favorable  that  morning. 

"  It  provided  a  fine  4th  of  July  fireworks  celebra- 
tion," Sergeant  Sollenberger,  one  of  the  men  on  Observa- 
tion Post,  reported.  "  The  shells  exploded,  scattering 
stars  far  and  wide,  with  a  bm-st  of  flame,  and  then  there 
was  a  light  cloud  that  crept  with  a  favorable  wind  up  the 
valley.  It  was  something  startling,  and  far  different 
from  any  gas  I  ever  saw." 

The  Huns  retaliated  with  a  heavy  gas  shell  attack  on 
the  1st  Battalion  area  near  Fismes  early  on  the  29th,  but 
luckily  our  boys  were  prepared,  knew  their  gas  mask 


THE  TRAGEDY  AT  FISMETTE  217 

drill  to  perfection,  and  so  there  were  no  casualties.  A 
heavy  German  barrage  on  the  night  of  the  30th  was  the 
only  event  of  importance  in  the  war  game  in  that  area 
until  our  boys  marched  out  on  the  night  of  August  31st 
and  morning  of  September  1st,  and  took  up  their  old 
positions  about  Dravegny,  with  a  few  of  the  units  located 
in  the  woods  near  Cohan. 

So,  as  luck  would  have  it,  the  plan  for  a  rush  on 
Fismette  by  the  provisional  company  was  never  carried 
into  effect.  But  to-day  Fismette  and  the  Vesle  River 
constitute  a  monument  to  the  heroes  of  the  112th — the 
resting  place  in  France  of  many  brave  Pennsylvania 
lads.  Scores  lie  in  unknown  graves,  for  the  Germans 
buried  them  in  trenches  and  failed  to  mark  the  place. 
Even  time  itself  will  not  reveal  the  exact  number  of 
American  lives  lost  on  that  fateful  morning  of  August 
27th.  The  Germans  conquered  Fismette  that  day,  only 
to  lose  it  a  week  later  when  they  were  forced  back  on  the 
run  to  the  Aisne  River,  the  backbone  of  their  resistance 
in  that  sector  broken  for  all  time. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

HOBNAILING  IT  INTO  THE  ARGONNE 

March  Southward  to  the  Marne,  and  the  Hard  Hike  in 
a  Driving  Rain  to  Boursault — Trucks  to  Maurupt, 
and  the  Record-Breaking  Four-Day  March  Into  the 
Argonne — Preparing    for    America's   Greatest    Attack. 

With  the  111th  holding  our  places  in  the  line  and 
Dravegny-Cohan  "  rest  "  days  resumed  on  Sunday,  Sep- 
tember 1st,  the  next  few  days  were  devoted  to  sending 
details  from  the  organization  over  to  the  old  chocolate 
factory  at  Abbaye  d'Igny — which,  through  Yankee  in- 
genuity, had  been  converted  into  a  bath  establishment. 
K'ew  underclothes,  socks,  shoes  and  even  new  suits  were 
issued  for  old  clothing,  and  after  waiting  in  line  for  sev- 
eral hours,  the  doughboy  with  the  crust  of  the  front  line 
on  his  apparel  and  body  was  able  to  get  fairly  clean. 

September  3d  took  a  place  in  our  day-to-day  routine 
simply  because  we  en j  oyed  the  first  entertainment  we  had 
had  anywhere  up  the  line ;  in  fact,  it  was  the  first  amuse- 
ment we  had  enjoyed  in  France.  It  took  place  in  the 
center  of  the  woods  east  of  Dravegny,  in  which  some  of 
our  companies  were  bivouacked.  There  was  a  rude  plat- 
form erected  in  the  afternoon,  and  at  6.30  that  night,  with 
an  audience  of  perhaps  a  hundred  and  fifty  doughboys, 
representing  mostly  members  of  the  Headquarters  and 
Supply  Companies,  the  entertainment  was  given. 

It  started  with  a  rush.    John  Surra  took  the  plat- 

218 


HOBNAILING  IT  INTO  THE  ARGON^E  219 

form,  after  an  introduction  by  a  visiting  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
man,  and  led  in  the  singing  of  "  Good-Bye  Broadway, 
Hello  France."  There  wasn't  much  pep  to  the  song; 
the  boys  had  been  over  too  long  for  it  to  hold  its  catchy 
ways  with  them,  and  so  *'  Keep  the  Home  Fires  Burn- 
ing "  was  a  far  greater  success,  and  was  sung  again  with 
a  real  feeling  that  struck  home. 

Then  Sergeant  George  Jolinston  and  Silvan  Hil- 
liard,  of  the  band,  playing  a  guitar  and  mandolin,  re- 
spectively, provided  several  splendid  selections  that  took 
the  fellows  back  to  other  davs;  as  the  audience  stood 
around  in  a  semicircle  and  caught  the  spirit  of  the  occa- 
sion, it  was  hard  to  realize  that  we  were  just  out  of  the 
lines  two  days  and  that  up  the  valley  Yank  and  Hun 
were  still  playing  at  the  same  old  game,  with  the  Yank 
on  top. 

Major  Olmes,  of  dance  fame,  and  who  was  the  head 
of  his  own  little  orchestra  in  those  days  back  home  sev- 
eral years  before,  rendered  a  violin  solo,  "  Souvenir,"'that 
was  equally  pleasing,  and  responded  with  an  encore  that 
also  won  its  wav  even  into  the  hearts  of  "  roufjh  dous^h- 
boys  " — for  even  if  the  fellows  had  been  up  the  line 
they  had  not  lost  their  sense  of  appreciation  of  good 
music.  The  Supply  Company  quartette — 75  per  cent, 
personnel  of  the  Headquarters  Company,  however — in- 
cluding Strayer  Reynolds,  "Bill"  Pope,  George  Amann 
and  Sponsler,  took  the  stage  and  sang  themselves  into 
the  historical  program  of  the  evening  with  "  The  Rose 
That  Made  Me  Happy  is  the  Rose  that  :Made  Me  Sad," 


220  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

"  My  Indiana  Rose  "  and  several  other  numbers.  Then 
"  Bobby  "  Roberts,  of  Oakland,  Calif.,  a  Scotchman, 
dressed  in  kilties  and  with  plenty  of  Scotch  humor,  Irish 
jokes  and  thoroughly  familiar  with  Bobby  Burns's  best 
verse,  delighted  the  boys  until  it  grew  dark — in  other 
words,  he  held  their  undivided  attention  for  forty-five 
minutes,  keeping  them  laughing  99  per  cent,  of  the  time. 

Some  of  the  jokes  were  old,  but  most  of  them  were 
new — yet  their  age  had  nothing  to  do  withthe  delight  they 
created;  a  soldier  can  enjoy  anything  after  having  seen 
the  grim  side  of  the  game  "  up  there,"  and  so  perhaps,  at 
times,  the  laugh  was  a  littlq  bit  emphatic,  maybe  over- 
stretched, but  it  was  all  in  the  humor  of  the  occasion. 

As  8  o'clock  came  around,  it  was  nearly  dark.  Guns 
were  booming  up  the  line.  Roberts,  the  little  Scotchman 
in  the  kilties,  was  saying  something  about  the  brave  boys 
in  Flanders  and  those  who  had  taken  part  in  the  game ; 
he  said  something  more  about  "  canning  the  Kaiser,"  and 
added  a  couple  of  verses  of  his  own  composition  to  em- 
phasize the  fact.  He  praised  the  part  the  Yanks  ( don't 
call  us  Sammies  any  more)  were  taking  in  the  game — 
and  then,  amid  a  whirlwind  of  applause,  just  as  if  it  had 
been  an  every-evening  occurrence,  this  simple  little  pro- 
gram came  to  a  close. 

The  expression  on  the  faces  of  those  boys  who  stood 
about,  laughing  and  applauding,  and  then  changing  as 
Roberts  controlled  their  emotions  at  will,  was  something 
one  will  never  forget.  These  were  the  fellows  who  had 
been  "  up  there  "  only  two  or  three  days  before,  and 


HOBNAILING  IT  INTO  THE  ARGONNE  221 

though  not  far  removed  from  the  land  where  things  were 
doing,  they  seemed  to  forget  the  grim  game — and  that, 
after  all,  only  went  to  prove  that  the  entertainers  had 
succeeded. 

September  5th  came,  and  with  it  the  word  that  the 
Germans  were  on  a  hun-ied  retreat  to  the  Aisne ;  Fismette 
had  fallen  and  the  Germans'  big  artillery  was  being  hur- 
riedly transferred  out  of  that  sector.  Then  the  expected 
orders  for  us  to  move  arrived,  and  in  a  pouring  rain  the 
battahons  took  up  the  line  of  march  to  St.  Gilles  and 
Coun^ille.  The  new  location  of  the  regiment  was  some- 
thing like  this:  Regimental  Headquarters,  La  Bomie 
Maison,  one  kilo  north  of  Com-ville ;  Headquarters  Com- 
pany, Machine  Gun  Company,  2d  and  3d  Battalions, 
one  kilo  east  of  St.  Gilles;  Supply  Company,  at  Cour- 
ville;  1st  Battalion,  one  and  one-half  kilos  northeast  of 
St.  Gilles. 

It  was  on  Friday,  September  6th,  with  Brigadier 
General  Weigel  assigned  to  command  the  88th  Division, 
Ihat  Colonel  Rickards  took  up  active  command  of  the 
56th  Infantry  Brigade,  and  Major  Smathers  took  active 
conmiand  of  the  112th. 

That  same  night,  from  10.30  until  11  o'clock,  Hun 
bombing  planes  took  their  toll  of  life  in  our  sector,  drop- 
ping bombs  in  the  Machine  Gun  Company  and  K  Com- 
pany area.  The  Machine  Gmi  Company  lost  five  killed, 
three  fatally  hurt  and  eight  wounded;  K  Company  lost 
one  man  slain.  It  is  estimated  that  there  were  some 
twelve  hundred  casualties  in  the  area  that  was  bombed 


222  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

that  night  by  the  Huns — a  terrible  vengeance ;  it  was  the 
following  day,  when  our  relief  had  been  effected  and  we 
were  on  the  march  southward  toward  the  woods  near 
Cohan,  that  we  learned  these  additional  details. 

At  8  o'clock  the  morning  of  September  7th  we  took 
up  the  march  southward,  delighted  beyond  measure  when 
the  announcement  was  made  that  with  other  units  of  the 
28th  Division  well  across  the  Vesle  our  own  relief  had 
been  effected,  and  that  the  other  units  would  in  turn 
be  replaced  by  the  French  troops  that  had  streamed 
northward  during  the  night. 

It  was  a  long  hike  and  a  hard  one,  and  the  sun  was 
unmercifully  hot.  By  noon  we  were  in  the  debris-strewn 
woods  of  Cohan,  where  the  stench  of  decaying  flesh  and 
unburied  Germans  was  still  prevalent.  We  stopped  at 
the  Abbaye,  north  of  the  woods,  and  purchased  the  first 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  supplies  we  had  had  in  a  week — it  goes  with- 
out saying  how  we  enjoyed  the  cookies  and  canned 
prunes  which  were  obtainable. 

At  that  time  we  had  no  idea  where  we  were  going; 
there  were  rumors  of  a  "  big  rest  "  somewhere  south  of 
the  Marne — beyond  that  we  had  absolutely  no  indication 
of  our  final  destination.  It  started  to  rain  early  in  the 
evening  while  we  were  encamped  in  the  woods  near 
Cohan,  and  it  was  still  raining  and  the  roads  were  ankle- 
deep  with  mud  when  we  pulled  out,  with  heavy,  wet  packs 
and  partially  drenched  clothes,  at  2  the  next  morning. 
It  was  a  Sunday  as  usual — for  we  always  were  hiking  on 
a  Sunday  "  somewhere  in  France." 


HOBNAILING  IT  INTO  THE  ARGONNE  223 

So  the  fourth  anniversary  of  the  Battle  of  the  Marne 
and  the  first  anniversary  of  our  departure  from  home  for 
the  Southland — September  8th — foimd  the  boys  of  the 
entire  regiment  on  the  hike  to  the  historic  river  itself,  amid 
a  drizzle  of  rain  that  soaked  slickers  and  made  the  roads 
muddy.  It  was  a  long  pull  of  about  12  miles,  from  the 
woods  north  of  Courmont,  after  the  sun  had  started 
mounting  in  the  skj^  and  the  coolness  of  a  September 
morning  in  France  had  been  dispelled. 

It  was  on  this  march  that  I  tramped  for  the  last  time 
with  Sergeant  "  Jack  "  Connell,  of  Franklin,  who  was 
to  fall  fatally  wounded  three  weeks  later  in  the  great 
Argonne  drive.  After  the  column  had  passed  through 
Courmont,  it  turned  to  the  left  and  took  a  hillside  road  to 
Le  Charmel  Chateau.  By  that  time  cloudy  skies  had 
obscured  the  sun,  and  a  drizzle  of  rain  that  kept  up  all 
day  began  falling.  For  three  hours  the  doughboys  rested 
at  the  chateau  in  the  pine  woods ;  over  on  the  opposite  hill 
was  the  border  of  the  Foret  de  Fere,  where  we  had  been 
encamped  in  our  first  rush  toward  the  Vesle.  The  vil- 
lage along  the  roadside,  which  we  could  easily  make  out 
without  the  aid  of  glasses,  was  one  in  which  the  boys  of 
the  109th  and  110th  had  been  hard  hit — it  was  the  town  of 
Le  Charmel. 

Then,  at  1  o'clock,  after  we  had  had  warm  coiFee  and 
rolled  oats,  we  were  on  the  march  again,  down  the  hill- 
side over  uneven  roads  and  through  the  mud — tramping 
into  Jaulgonne,  around  through  Brazy-sur-i\Iarne  and 
into  Marcilly.    As  we  left  Brazy  we  saw  German  signs, 


224  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

pointing  the  way  to  the  pontoon  bridge  which  they  had 
thrown  across  the  Marne  on  July  15th;  of  course,  the 
pontoons  had  long  since  disappeared. 

It  was  nearly  4  o'clock  when  we  reached  Marcilly, 
on  the  ^larne,  and  meanwhile  the  rain  had  increased,  and 
the  streets  were  miserably  muddy.  The  various  units  of 
the  regiment  took  up  positions  on  the  hillsides  about  the 
town,  and  for  two  days  we  stayed  there.  It  was  some 
relief  to  be  out  of  the  range  of  shellfire,  to  be  in  a  place 
where  we  had  no  fear  of  Hmi  bombing  machines.  Across 
the  Marne,  railroad  trains,  carrying  supplies  to  the  front, 
passed  every  now  and  then — and  to  us  fellows  who  had 
seen  no  locomotives  since  we  left  the  Paris  district  during 
June,  they  were  quite  interesting.  On  Monday,  the  9th, 
just  for  the  sake  of  the  novelty,  I  went  down  to  the 
Marne  and  washed  my  mess  kit.  The  10th  came,  and  we 
were  on  the  march  again. 

That  day,  with  the  exception  of  the  night  of  August 
3d,  when  we  stood  in  the  rain  and  mud  at  Chamery,  was 
one  of  the  most  miserable  and  disheartening  imaginable. 
In  a  driving  rain  that  soaked  us  before  we  got  started,  we 
pulled  out  at  6.15  that  morning.  The  farther  we  marched 
the  worse  the  rain  became.  As  we  went  through  Passy 
and  Treloup  we  saw  in  the  ruins  of  destroyed  churches 
the  big  guns  by  which  the  Germans  had  fired  shells  into 
the  American  lines  south  of  Chateau-Thierry  and  the 
Marne  River.  Naturally,  the  guns  had  been  di&abled 
before  they  were  abandoned  and  the  breeches  were 
blown  open. 


HOBNAILING  IT  INTO  THE  ARGONNE  225 

There  was  not  a  note  of  cheer  in  the  whole  tramp  that 
morning.  It  was  a  battle  the  whole  way,  fighting  against 
a  driving  rain  and  a  cold  wind.  Packs  were  soaked  and 
made  all  the  heavier ;  mud  was  ankle  deep,  now  and  then 
the  wagons  stuck,  but  still  we  pushed  on  through  the 
Marne  valley.  Now  and  then  we  passed  the  graves  of 
Huns  hastily  buried;  saw  equipment  abandoned  in  the 
rush  to  get  away  from  the  American  forces.  Through 
Vincelles  and  Verneuil  we  kept  on  plodding.  We  saw 
Dormans  on  the  other  side  of  the  ^larne,  but  did  not  pass 
through  it,  as  the  bridge,  which  had  been  blown  up,  was 
not  repaired.  We  crossed  the  Marne  River  j  ust  south  of 
Verneuil;  the  bridge  was  recently  constructed  and  evi- 
dently had  been  hurriedly  built  after  the  German  retire- 
ment from  that  section. 

Then,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Marne,  we  passed 
through  Try,  Troissy  and  Mareuil  le  Port.  At  a  little 
store  in  this  town  the  fellows  bought  slices  of  cheese  at 
a  franc  or  two  francs  per,  and  this  kept  us  in  hiking 
trim  until  the  rain  stopped  early  in  the  afternoon  and  a 
halt  was  made  at  the  top  of  the  hill  between  Mareuil  le 
Port  and  Leuvrigny.  Unsuccessful  efforts  were  made 
to  dry  our  clothes  during  that  brief  rest  period,  and  then 
again  we  were  on  the  tramp,  passing  through  the  small 
village  of  Chene  and  then  entering  the  Bois  de  Boursault. 
We  reached  our  destination,  the  hunting  lodge,  about  two 
kilos  from  the  town  of  Boursault,  and  in  the  woods  of 
Epernay,  at  3  o'clock  that  afternoon;  but  it  was  0  and 
after  before  the  battalions  marched  into  place — a  motley 

15 


226  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

looking  group  of  soldiers,  tired  and  done  out  by  one  of 
the  hardest  marches  experienced  up  until  that  time. 

Every  man's  shoes,  no  matter  how  good  they  were, 
were  filled  with  water,  and  we  were  chilled.  Not  in  days 
had  we  felt  more  miserable  than  just  at  that  moment. 
Fires  were  started,  socks  and  underclothes  were  changed, 
and  many  a  boy  crawled  into  his  blankets  a  half  hour 
after  he  had  thrown  off  his  pack.  Regimental  Head- 
quarters was  in  the  hunting  lodge,  which  became  a  hotel 
center  for  all  officers,  in  fact.  Our  location  at  that  time 
and  for  the  next  day  was  just  10  kilos  distant  from  the 

r 

city  of  Epernay,  toward  which  the  Huns  had  rushed  and 
which  they  failed  to  reach  in  their  Marne  drive. 

Friday,  the  13th — that  was  quite  a  day — the  trucks 
that  we  had  boarded  the  previous  evening  dumped  us  oiF 
at  Blesme-Haussignemont,  50  kilometers  south  of  Cha- 
lons-sur-Mame.  We  had  traveled  and  bumped  along 
the  road  some  70  miles  or  more  during  the  night,  and  we 
were  tired ;  it  is  out  of  the  question  to  get  a  good  sound 
sleep  in  French  camions  when  they  are  making  time  and 
when  17  or  18  other  fellows  are  occupying  the  same  truck 
with  you ;  there  is  always  an  awful  mixture  of  arms,  legs, 
packs,  equipment — and  when  a  bump  is  hit — well,  it  is 
more  of  a  j  umble  than  ever  and  everybody  wakes  up,  and 
in  the  pitch  blackness  you  can't  get  straightened  aroimd 
to  save  vour  life. 

Sarver,  of  the  Supply  Company,  and  I  walked  down 
to  the  station  and  saw  the  morning  train  bound  for  Vitry- 
le-Fran9ois,  delighted  again  to  feel  the  touch  of  civiliza- 


HOBNAILING  IT  INTO  THE  ARGONNE  227 

tion.  Then,  at  11.30,  after  we  had  lain  along  the  road- 
side for  three  or  four  hours,  we  started  on  the  7-kilo  hike 
to  Maui'upt  et  le  Montoy,  where  the  Regimental  Head- 
quarters was  to  be  located.  By  2  we  arrived  there — out 
of  luck. 

Walter  Plasterer,  of  Shippensburg,  one  of  the  order- 
lies, and  I  ate  some  hardtack  and  had  some  condensed 
milk  which  he  had  purchased;  I  was  dead  broke  and 
couldn't  have  bought  a  5-cent  sandwich  had  they  existed 
in  France. 

We  found  our  httle  **  red  village  "  was  one  of  those 
which  had  been  blasted  to  pieces  in  the  drive  of  1914;  it 
had  few  stores,  the  church  had  lost  its  steeple,  and  there 
were  many  tell-tale  graves.  But  the  outstanding  fea- 
tures were  the  red  roof  of  every  house  in  the  village  and 
the  red  brick  walls  of  every  one  that  had  been  rebuilt; 
truly,  it  was  the  "  red  village  "  in  every  respect. 

Good  old  John  Kahle  staked  me  to  a  meal  and  we 
walked  to  Pargny-sur-Saulx,  only  a  few  miles  away,  to 
get  a  "  feed  "  that  evening.  Just  at  the  edge  of  Maurupt 
we  passed  the  famous  Huguenot  brick  and  tile  factory 
which  has  helped  put  Pargny  on  the  map,  and  whose 
product  every  time  we  were  billeted  in  a  barn  or  the  top 
floor  of  some  old  house  made  us  wonder  where  Pargny 
was  in  France.  John  and  I  bought  bread,  canned  milk, 
grapes  and  a  few  other  "  dainties,"  and  these  lasted  us 
for  twenty-four  hours.  Other  fellows  followed  our  ex- 
ample, for  the  wagon  train  was  then  just  taking  up  the 


228  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

line  of  march,  and  it  would  be  several  days  before  it 
would  get  to  us. 

If  the  boys  of  the  regiment  who  had  been  through  the 
excitement  and  trying  days  and  nights  of  endless  hiking 
and  fighting  in  the  area  north  of  the  Marne  ever  dreamed 
that  *'  rest "  was  to  come  in  this  region  southeast  of 
Chalons,  their  ambitions  to  get  sleep  and  relaxation  went 
flying  immediately.  Hardly  had  the  units  been  shown  to 
their  billets  in  the  barns  of  that  district  than  the  word  was 
passed  "  this  is  no  rest  period,"  and  steps  were  taken  im- 
mediately to  equip  thoroughly  and  outfit  each  command 
for  active  participation  in  the  game  again. 

The  billeting  areas  assigned  were :  Regimental  Head- 
quarters, Headquarters,  Machine  Gun  and  Supply  Com- 
panies, at  Maurupt;  Companies  A,  B  and  C,  at  Scrupt; 
Company  D,  at  St.  Lumier  la  Populeus;  Companies  E, 
r,  G  and  H,  at  Sermaize  les  Bains;  Companies  I,  K,  L 
and  M,  at  Haussignemont  (where  we  had  debussed  the 
morning  of  the  13th) . 

That  day  the  little  store  at  the  corner  put  up  a  bulle- 
tin, announcing  in  French,  General  Pershing's  great 
drive  in  the  St.  Mihiel  salient,  and  we  felt  sure  that  cir- 
cumstances then  pointed  the  way  to  our  early  participa- 
tion in  that  offensive. 

The  usual  training  program  was  prepared,  and  the 
boys  began  drilling  on  Monday,  September  16th,  the  sol- 
diers playing  the  game  hard  until  nearly  3  that  afternoon. 
Meantime,  the  wagon  train  had  not  caught  up,  rations 
were  meager,  men  fried  bacon  and  ate  tomatoes  from  the 


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HOBNAILING  IT  INTO  THE  .\KGONNE  229 

can,  and  subsisted  on  whatever  they  could  get  hold  of, 
and  the  stock  of  the  little  store  at  the  corner  was  soon 
exhausted.  Then  it  was  forbidden  to  visit  Pargny — and 
so  we  lived  in  hopes  that  the  train  would  arrive  the  morn- 
ing of  the  17th. 

The  most  pleasant  memory  of  all,  during  those  days, 
was  Saturday,  September  14th,  when  every  man  was 
given  his  May,  June  and  July  pay  in  one  fat  roll — and 
then  had  no  place  to  spend  it,  unless  he  slipped  over  to 
Pargny  to  buy  cheese  and  bread,  as  John  Kahle  and  I 
managed  to  do  again.  The  eating  problem  was  a  big  and 
vital  one  those  days. 

But  before  we  could  get  a  hot  meal  from  our  own 
cookers,  word  came  at  8  o'clock  Monday  night,  the  lOth, 
to  be  on  the  way  AT  ONCE.  There  was  a  silent  protest 
from  every  comer — but  doughboys  can  play  the  game 
any  hour  of  the  day  and  night;  so  it  was  a  fairly  jolly 
company  that  swung  into  the  dust  and  out  along  the  pike 
to  Pargny  and  on  the  road  to  Sermaize  as  the  moon  was 
high  in  the  sky,  shortly  before  midnight.  The  1st  and  3d 
Battalions  were  in  luck ;  they  went  part  way  by  lorry,  but 
all  the  other  units  had  to  make  it  on  foot — a  blistering 
trip  that  months  could  not  erase  from  the  memories  of 
those  who  hiked. 

Had  anj'body  told  us  that  without  the  chance  to  get 
much  sound  sleep  and  without  the  opportunity  to  rest 
from  the  chilling  hike  of  Marcilly  to  Epernay  forest,  not 
to  speak  of  the  busy  days  before,  and  then  could  go 
through  a  32-kilo  hike  in  the  direction  of  some  unknown 


«30  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

area,  we  would  have  balked,  maybe.  Every  man  carried 
his  heavy  pack  and  his  full  equipment;  there  was  no 
wagon  train  to  carrj^  the  rolls  of  those  who  fell  out,  and  if 
a  man  became  exhausted,  he  was  left  "  on  his  own,"  to 
shift  for  himself  and  catch  up  when  he  could. 

All  night  we  marched.  We  halted  at  Sermaize,  the 
ruins  of  its  wrecked  factories  and  homes  a  ghastly  greet- 
ing against  the  pale  moon.  Then,  through  Revigny  we 
marched  shortly  before  daylight,  and  by  the  time  we  got 
to  Laheycourt  many  a  man's  legs  were  wobbly.  It  was  a 
tough  proposition;  veteran  hikers  were  dropping  out, 
men  were  straggling,  not  a  few  were  swearing — and 
when  a  dapper-looking  officer  from  Division  Headquar- 
ters jumped  out  of  a  limousine  and  forbade  the  felloAVS 
getting  a  drink  and  quenching  the  burning  thirst  of  an 
all-night  tramp  at  a  wayside  spring,  the  climax  of  criti- 
cism was  reached.  The  Fontinette  hike  had  been  a  joy- 
killer,  but  this  one  was  proving  more  of  a  record-breaker 
than  even  it. 

Three  kilos  north  of  Laheycourt  we  flopped  on  the 
ground;  it  was  2  in  the  afternoon,  and  we  had  been 
marching  since  11.20  the  night  before  without  a  stop  of 
more  than  ten  minutes  at  any  stage.  More  than  that,  we 
were  weak  from  hunger  and  the  sun  had  become  blister- 
ing hot;  feet  ached  and  burned  as  seldom  before,  and 
blisters  grew^  bigger  every  minute.  The  maps  showed  us 
that  we  were  in  the  Foret  de  Belnoue,  and  even  then 
officers  and  men  had  little  idea  where  our  final  destina- 
tion was  to  be. 


HOBNAILING  IT  INTO  THE  ARGONNE  231 

At  8  o'clock  the  same  evening,  before  the  boys  had 
secured  a  complete  rest,  they  were  on  the  road  again.  It 
was  up,  up  and  at  'em;  the  moon  came  up  again,  but  it 
was  no  time  to  enjoy  a  beautiful  night;  its  very  presence 
seemed  cynical  to  the  fellows  who  were  trying  to  make 
the  riffle  to  Belief ontaine,  an  additional  18  kilos — making 
a  tramp  of  50  kilos  in  two  days  without  any  rest  or  sleep 
to  speak  of.  They  straggled  in,  in  groups  of  threes  and 
fours,  all  night  and  during  the  next  morning ;  some  were 
still  on  the  road  for  two  and  three  days  following. 

It  was  raining,  as  usual,  when  the  boys  got  into  the 
little  forest  village  of  Bellefontaine,  25  kilometers  south- 
west of  Verdun  and  in  the  southern  edge  of  the  famous 
Argonne  forest.  There  was  a  feeling  of  elation  that  we 
were  marching  through  historic  territory — but  that  was 
to  be  dispelled,  for  the  night  of  the  18th  was  to  find  us 
marching  and  tramping  northward  again.  What  a 
record ! 

There  we  had  plugged  onward  for  32  kilos  the  night 
of  September  16th-17th  to  the  Foret  de  Belnoue. 

We  had  hiked  18  kilos  the  night  of  the  17th-18th  to 
Bellefontaine. 

Now  we  were  on  the  march  for  12  kilos  to  another 
woodland  spot,  this  time  a  kilo  northeast  of  the  hard-to- 
find  village  of  Le  Nefour,  in  the  Argonne  region. 

Sixty-two  kilos  in  three  nights,  with  practically  no 
sleep;  no  regular  meals,  sensed  steaming  hot  from  our 
cookers;  only  such  things  to  eat  as  we  could  buy  at  the  lit- 


232  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

tie  French  stores,  where  the  kindly  old  lady  behind  the 
counter  always  cried  "  finis." 

However,  Warren  Brakeman,  George  Stuchell  and  I 
were  lucky  enough  before  leaving  Belief ontaine  to  get  a 
heaping  dish  of  French  fried  potatoes  at  a  little  house 
along  the  main  street  of  the  village ;  four  francs  was  the 
reasonable  charge  for  the  three  of  us — and  French  fries 
disappeared  as  if  by  magic — but  that's  a  foregone  con- 
clusion. When  a  doughboy  gets  hungrj^  and  hiking  is 
long  and  wearisome,  he  hardly  knows  when  to  stop  eat- 
ing ;  that  was  the  predicament  we  were  in — and  we  made 
the  most  of  the  situation. 

By  that  time  our  wagon  trains  were  catching  up  to  us, 
and,  as  we  marched  through  Le  Nefour  and  went  into 
bivouac  on  the  slopes  and  in  the  forest  just  north  of  there 
at  midnight,  September  18th,  the  wagons  pulled  into 
place  a  few  minutes  later.  The  next  morning  at  10 
o'clock  we  had  a  real  meal — and  all  day,  in  spite  of  the 
rain,  we  felt  cheered  up  on  that  accoimt.  We  were  crazy 
for  sleep  and  real  rest,  but  it  was  to  be  some  time  before 
we  got  it. 

Then  it  became  known  that  "  pursuant  to  Field 
Orders  36,  56th  Brigade,  the  1st  Battalion,  112th  In- 
fantry, had  taken  up  the  line  of  defense  north  of  the  Bois 
de  Chalade." 

*'  Where  was  that?  "  we  wondered.  Then,  when  we 
were  on  the  hike  again  the  night  of  the  l^th,  marching  12 
kilos  farther,  we  found  that  the  1st  Battalion  was  in  posi- 
tion for  the  jmnp-ofF;  in  other  words,  it  was  in  the  front 


HOBNAHvING  IT  INTO  THE  ARGONNE  233 

line — and  the  pencil-pushers  were  also  destined  for  a 
place  there,  as  well. 

To  us  the  rapid  march  of  the  fellows  from  the  *'  rest  " 
area  of  Maurupt  to  the  wilderness  of  the  Argonne  could 
have  but  one  meaning — there  was  something  doing,  that's 
aU.  The  rush  of  troops,  the  hurrjang  of  big  guns 
through  that  region,  and  the  activities  of  the  few  days  to 
follow  confirmed  our  suspicions  and  helped  set  the  stage 
for  the  memorable  rush  that  started  September  26th. 

That  period  of  preparation,  September  20th  to  26th, 
full  of  tense  interest  and  expectancy,  is  described  in 
doughboy  letters  written  during  those  days  immediately 
preceding  the  jump-ofF  in  the  Meuse- Argonne  offensive. 
A  few  of  these  letters,  picked  at  random,  follow: 

A  Forest  in  France, 

September  20. 

It  is  nightfall,  and  I  am  spending  another  night  in  the 
heart  of  what  is  probably  the  biggest  war  zone  forest  in 
France.  A  rainy  day,  interspersed  with  simshine,  has 
come  to  an  uneventful  close,  and  after  a  full  day's  rest — • 
a  remarkable  experience  for  this  week  of  numerous 
marches — we  are  looking  forward  to  a  solid  night's  sleep 
in  the  little  sheds  or  shanties  which  are  built  in  the  hillside 
throughout  this  particular  valley. 

In  the  days  gone  by,  two  and  three  years  ago,  this 
section  gained  enough  prominence  to  put  it  into  the  news 
columns — so  you  probably  know  where  we  are  in  a  gen- 
eral way  by  this  time;  especially,  since  I  see  by  the 


234  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

papers  that  the  War  Department  is  keeping  the  folks  at 
home  better  informed,  so  far  as  location  is  concerned, 
than  it  is  possible  for  us  fellows  to  do  and  comply  with 
the  necessary  censorship  regulations. 

During  the  past  week  we  have  known  what  it  is  to  live 
on  cold  rations  entirely,  for  our  wagon  train  was  far 
behind  us.  We  got  a  several  days'  jump  on  the  cookers 
and  wagons  by  riding  on  trucks  some  70  or  80  miles  to  a 
certain  point,  and  then  just  when  it  seemed  that  a  warm 
meal  was  in  sight  and  the  passing  of  another  night  would 
mean  a  good  breakfast,  we  were  unexpectedly  on  the 
jump,  and  every  day  since  has  meant  hiking.  Perhaps 
I  should  say  every  night,  for  we  have  done  most  of  our 
traveling  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  braving  early  morn- 
ing rains  and  finding  the  soft  spots  in  woodlands  and 
French  forests. 

We  struck  a  little  town  the  other  day  not  many  miles 
back  [Belief ontaine].  It  was  in  great  contrast  to  the 
places  we  had  passed  through  on  the  march.  It  was  in  the 
heart  of  this  forest  region,  and  the  pursuits  of  the  few 
inhabitants  ran  to  selling  wine,  raising  cattle  and  to  farm- 
ing on  a  small  scale.  The  soldier  boys  literally  took  the 
town  by  storm,  drank  all  the  milk  in  sight,  exhausted  the 
limited  wine  supply  and  bought  out  the  stock  of  goods 
which  the  little  "  epicerie,"  or  general  store,  carried. 
Two  other  boys  and  myself  ordered  some  French  fried 
potatoes ;  left  the  order  in  the  morning  and  at  5  o'clock 
that  evening  we  ate  two  plates  full ;  the  bill  for  the  three 


HOBNAILING  IT  INTO  THE  ARGONNE  235 

of  us  totaled  foui*  francs,  or  72  cents,  which  was  indeed 
reasonable. 

The  big  hit  of  that  day's  stay  there,  however,  besides 
the  opportunity  to  wash  and  shave,  was  the  visit  to  the 
French- American  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  which  had  warm  cocoa 
for  sale.  I  drank  no  fewer  than  three  cups  of  it.  Libby's 
canned  milk  sufficed  for  sweetening  purposes,  and  you 
will  be  surprised  how  fond  fellows  on  the  hike  become  of 
canned  milk.  For  three  days  some  of  us  boys  lived  on 
canned  milk,  French  bread  and  the  baked  beans  and 
canned  tomatoes  issued  to  us  from  the  supply  dump. 
Some  even  went  so  far  as  to  make  pancakes — but  I  never 
was  a  good  cook,  and  so  when  my  turn  to  cook  came  I 
merely  made  coffee  and  fried  bacon,  warmed  cans  of 
tomatoes  and  beans,  and  let  it  go  at  that — but  we  had  a 
good  meal  one  day,  nevertheless. 

Now,  even  though  we  are  in  the  front  line  again,  with 
prospects  of  a  stay  for  any  length  of  time,  we  feel  con- 
fident we  will  get  plenty  to  eat,  though  it  may  not  always 
be  so  good  as  when  we  are  in  the  back  areas.  But  we  were 
in  the  back  area  for  such  a  short  time  that  we  are  getting 
used  to  the  trench  diet — and  the  fellows  seem  to  thrive 
on  it,  at  that.  This  morning  Company  D  had  pancakes, 
and  each  man  got  three.  How's  that  for  front  line 
culinary  service?  You  might  know  how  we  relished 
those  cakes ! 

All  is  going  well ;  I  am  getting  on  just  the  same ;  some 
think  I  am  getting  fat  on  the  army  life,  and  indeed  of 
late  it  seems  to  agree  with  me,  in  spite  of  the  few  hours  of 


236  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

sleep  that  it  has  been  possible  for  us  to  obtain.  But  when 
we  do  hit  the  hay,  we  sleep  right  through — though  to- 
night, with  big  rats  prevalent  in  this  vicinity — for  we 
have  struck  the  trench  rat  region  at  last,  after  missing  it 
for  weeks — I  may  tell  a  different  story.  It  was  3  a.m. 
when  I  came  into  tliis  dark  valley  last  night,  and  even 
though  the  moon  was  out  bright  and  fine  and  a  fellow 
could  read  the  headlines  on  a  paper  as  he  walked  down 
the  road,  had  he  so  desired,  it  was  pitch  black  here — for 
the  tall  trees  obscured  what  light  there  was;  it  is  the 
same  in  daytime,  the  sun  does  not  filter  through  to  a 
great  extent. 

This  morning,  as  I  went  down  to  the  Seven  Springs 
at  the  cross-roads  to  wash,  I  passed  through  barbed-wire 
entanglements  and  over  old  trenches,  of  1915  and  1916 
fame,  perhaps.  I  passed  several  little  burros  coming 
up  through  the  mud,  their  American  drivers  calling  *'  al- 
lez  "  to  them;  each  bmTo  carried  two  big  cans  of  water 
slung  over  his  back.  One  of  om*  boys  made  the  remark 
that  many  a  youngster  back  home  would  like  to  have  one 
of  the  burros,  of  pony  size,  for  a  pet;  they  are  surely 
splendid  little  fellows  and  seem  never  to  get  tired. 

AU  this  forest  seems  like  toyland — pigmy  railroad, 
for  ammunition  and  supplies;  aerial  tramway,  for  the 
same  purpose;  little  huts  and  stone  houses,  several  years 
old,  making  a  veritable  cliff  colony  all  along  the  hillsides 
of  the  forest.  You  have  seen  all  this  in  pictures,  I  know ; 
I  have,  many  times — but  we  fellows  are  seeing  this  world- 
famous  region  as  it  is  to-day,  note  what  has  taken  place 


HOBNAILING  IT  INTO  THE  ARGONNE  237 

and  are  viewing  it  now  with  renewed  interest — since  we 
feel  that  the  outjfit  is  here  to  make  new  history  where 
other  chapters  have  already  been  gloriously  written  by 
the  French. 

We  are  indeed  in  a  remarkable  section — different  in 
many  respects  from  the  land  of  the  open  fighting  we  had 
seen  before. 

Here  are  trenches  used  and  unused  for  the  past  three 
years;  barbed-wire  entanglements,  some  rusted  and 
others  new.  Guns  speak  now  and  then,  letting  us  know 
that  we  are  in  the  war  zone.  For,  aside  from  a  bombing 
expedition  from  Hunland  now  and  then,  we  would 
imagine — by  a  stretch,  I  admit — that  we  were  vacation- 
ing in  the  Catskills  and  looking  over  this  quaint  old  rail- 
ing outside  into  one  of  the  many  valleys  of  New  York 
State.  If  there  has  been  one  remarkable  quiet  place  on 
the  map — liable  to  become  the  liveliest  at  any  minute — • 
it  is  this ;  a  goalpost  of  interest  from  start  to  finish.  The 
most  talked-of  war  forest  of  France,  perhaps;  surely, 
one  of  its  most  interesting  scenic  wonders. 

The  days  to  come,  and  maybe  those  before  this  letter 
gets  far  on  its  way,  will  probably  bear  out  what  I  have 
said ;  we  feel  it  will  end  that  way. 

It  has  been  so  long  since  we  have  seen  magazines  and 
papers  from  home  that  we  do  not  know  what  they  look 
like;  second-class  matter,  since  we  have  had  an  active 
hand  in  the  game,  seems  to  have  been  given  the  go-by 
and  we  have  counted  ourselves  lucky  to  get  even  first- 
class  once  a  week — and  even  that  average  is  not  keeping 


238  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

up  well.  The  person  at  home  little  realizes  under  what 
difficulties  letter-writing  is  carried  on  from  this  end,  how 
there  are  days  of  waiting  until  the  mail  truck  comes  to 
take  the  mail  away ;  how  envelopes,  few  as  they  are,  get 
stuck  together  and  how  pencils  disappear,  fountain  pens 
can't  be  filled  and  the  hundred  and  one  Httle  things  of 
that  nature — all  little  in  themselves,  but  each  a  contribut- 
ing factor  to  the  letter-writing  business  of  the  American 
infantry  soldier. 

But  the  big  story  will  be  wi'itten  in  each  youngster's 
life  when  he  can  sit  around  the  fireside  back  home  or  out 
on  some  front  porch  in  the  cool  of  a  summer  breeze  and 
tell  of  those  stirring  days  in  France — and  the  best  of  the 
story  will  be  its  truth — for  it  will  need  no  exaggeration  to 
describe  all  the  features,  pleasant  and  disagi-eeable,  heart- 
rending and  heroic,  of  this  game  of  war.  Our  fellows 
have  seen  all  sides  of  it — and  they're  men,  every  one 
of  them. 

The  candles  are  burning  low;  soon  they  will  be  out. 
It  is  late — 8.45  now — and  I  am  tired.  With  fewer  than 
twelve  hours'  sleep  in  four  days,  I  am  going  to  tumble  in. 
I  long  for  the  day  to  come  when  I  can  break  in  again, 
and  plug  on.  Meanwhile,  I  am  can-ying  on,  as  you  would 
have  me,  over  here — cheerful,  micomplaining,  hiking  with 
a  vengeance,  eating  with  an  appetite  only  perfect  health 
knows  and  smiling  when  the  downs  threaten  to  have  an 
inning  with  the  ups.  Cheerful — that's  the  catch-word 
for  the  whole  outfit.    Every  man  feels  added  pride,  too, 


HOBNAILING  IT  INTO  THE  ARGONNE  239 

that  he  fought  in  the  now  famous  Second  Battle  of  the 
Marne  and  went  to  the  Vesle  River  and  beyond.  Great 
days  those  were,  but  greater  ones  are  coming. 

Woods  of  France,  On  the  Line, 
6  P.M.,  Wednesday,  September  25. 

As  I  write  the  wheels  are  being  set  in  motion  for  a 
great  attack.  Rumor  has  it  that  it  will  come  early  to- 
morrow morning ;  scores  upon  scores  of  big  guns  will  let 
loose,  and  then  the  whole  fabric  of  the  war  game  will  be 
in  full  play — tanks,  gas,  artillery  and  our  boys.  For  a 
whole  week  the  stage  was  in  process  of  being  set. 

Just  now  it  is  quiet ;  few  shells  are  falling.  It  is  as 
quiet  as  any  woods  back  home ;  little  does  this  quiet  mean, 
however — for  we  believe  that  after  to-night,  there  will  be 
but  little  sleep.  Things  have  been  rushing  in  more  ways 
than  one;  details  are  not  possible,  but  we  have  all  been 
busy;  and  if  plans  go  well,  our  good  old  outfit  will  go 
down  into  history  as  having  played  a  prominent  part  in 
the  game.  It  will  be  our  boys  who  are  first  through  the 
wire  and  over  the  top ;  it  will  be  the  fellows  from  our  regi- 
ment who  will  bear  the  brunt  of  the  melee — and  God  will 
be  with  us,  we  feel  sure.  I  write  these  few  hues  before  all 
hell  lets  loose ;  they  will  not  start  homeward,  though,  until 
after  the  thing  has  been  done — and  the  game  is  on. 

The  boys  are  on  their  toes,  expectancy  rules,  and  the 
last  man  is  ready.  We  eat  to-night  for  the  last  time  at 
our  own  individual  mess ;  after  that  we  will  be  back  eating 


240  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

with  the  wagon  train  and  wherever  we  can  get  something 
to  eat,  for  that  matter. 

Surely  this  is  the  cahn  before  the  storm.  The  day- 
cool,  with  an  occasional  drizzle ;  now  and  then  some  aero- 
plane circling  overhead,  the  last  one  we  saw  being  OURS 
— one  with  a  Keystone  and  the  Number  10;  this  is  the 
first  of  that  type  we  had  seen.  Then  shells  burst  now  and 
then ;  but  it  will  be  on  the  morrow,  perhaps,  when  a  differ- 
ent scene  will  be  presented;  and  so  we  all  hope  that  we 
may  live  through  it  all,  to  keep  up  the  chase  of  the  Hun, 
who  we  believe  will  be  started  on  the  run  once  again. 

In  due  time  it  will  be  announced — long  before  my 
letter  gets  home — where  we  have  been  in  the  scrap ;  and 
so  you  can  feel  sure  that  Pennsylvania  boys  have  once 
again  given  a  good  account  of  themselves  in  another  sec- 
tor.   If  we  don't,  then  we  won't  be  here  to  tell  the  tale. 

Woods  of  France,  On  the  Line, 
11  P.M.,  Wednesday,  September  25. 

The  greatest  drumfire  we  have  ever  heard  has  just 
opened.  Right  on  the  dot,  at  11  o'clock,  it  began.  Early 
in  the  morning  at  zero  hour  our  boys  are  over  the  top. 
The  hour  is  whispered  now — it  is  to  be  5.30  a.m.  Tanks, 
aeroplanes,  all  manner  of  war  machines,  will  be  in  the 
scrap,  too,  to  support  our  o\mi  men. 

It  is  11.15  now — the  pounding  and  battering  up  the 
line  grows  louder ;  our  first  columns  are  on  the  march,  our 
first  men  to  "  jump  off."  This  rear  Regimental  P.  C. 
seems  quite  deserted.    A  half-dozen  candles  are  flickering 


HOBNAILING  IT  INTO  THE  ARGONNE  241 

here ;  a  few  of  us  are  back,  waiting  for  the  word  that  the 
game  is  on  in  earnest  and  for  the  order,  which  will  come 
soon  after  daylight,  perhaps,  to  move. 

It  is  hard  to  describe  the  feeling  of  tliis  battle.  It  is 
to  be  so  different  from  the  others  we  have  been  in ;  none 
of  us  have  yet  seen  the  tanks  and  yet  they  are  here — 
American  tanks  at  that.  At  the  last  minute  The  Ameri- 
can Aviators — *'  fighters  of  the  air  "  they  dub  themselves 
— sent  a  characteristic  appeal  in  real  American  '*  pep  " 
slang  to  the  doughboys  on  the  ground,  but  most  of  our 
men  were  on  the  move  or  getting  ready  to  start  forward 
when  tliis  arrived. 

It  read : 

From  the  American  Scrappers  of  the  Air  to  the  American  Sol- 
diers on  the  Ground: 

Doughboys :  While  you  are  giving,  the  Boche  hell  on  the  ground, 
we  are  helping  you  to  the  limit  in  the  air. 

The  artillery  are  behind  you,  anxious  to  help  with  their  shells. 

Headquarters  is  trying,  through  us,  to  keep  in  close  touch  with 
you  and  to  render  aid  whenever  you  are  checked  or  outnumbered.  " 

Keep  us  posted  at  all  times  as  to  where  your  front  lines  are. 

Your  signals  enable  us  to  take  news  of  your  location  to  the  rear ; 
to  report  if  the  attack  is  successful,  to  call  for  help  if  needed,  to 
enable  the  artillery  to  put  their  shells  over  your  head  into  the  enemy. 

If  you  are  out  of  ammunition  and  tell  us,  we  will  report  it  and 
have  it  sent  up;  if  you  are  surrounded,  we  will  deliver  the  ammuni- 
tion by  airplane. 

We  do  not  hike  through  the  mud  with  you,  but  there  are  dis- 
comforts in  our  work  as  bad  as  mud,  but  we  won't  let  rain,  storms, 
Archies  nor  Boche  planes  prevent  our  getting  there  with  the  goods. 

Use  us  to  the  limit.  After  reading  this,  hand  it  to  your  Buddie 
and — remember  to  show  your  signals. 

(Signed)  Your  Aviators. 

10 


242  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

History  will  be  written  again  within  the  next  few 
days — at  least  in  tliis  hitherto  so-called  quiet  sector ;  our 
Catskills  ravine  will  be  in  the  midst  of  the  fray  at  the 
start,  but  after  that  our  boj^s  will  be  far  beyond.  The 
Battle  of  the  Great  Woods  we  must  know  it  for  the  time 
being  until  the  ^ Var  Department  gives  it  an  official  title : 
om-  fellows  can  then  feel  with  some  little  pride  they  have 
been  in  the  Second  Battle  of  the  Marne  and  in  this  one 
now  starting — one  with  such  great  possibihties,  one  which 
Avill  carry  us  closer  to  the  German  frontier,  one  in  which 
our  boys  are  to  see  all  features  of  the  war  game,  every 
conceivable  contrivance — I  cannot  list  them  all.  I  can 
just  tell  you  that  hell  is  letting  loose;  by  morning  it  will 
seem  like  a  thousand  hells  in  one. 

We  are  calm.  I  have  finished  a  strenuous  day's  work, 
and  things  are  in  order  now  for  the  word  that  will  send 
us  office  fellows  up.  This  is  the  first  time  I  have  been 
left  behind  at  the  rear  office,  as  at  all  other  times  I  have 
gone  up  to  the  forward  P.  C.  when  the  boys  went  into  the 
line.  It  is  to  be  a  weird  night,  but  I  have  faith  and  hope 
in  seeing  another  day.  In  that  prayer  and  placing  my 
trust  in  Him  who  lovingly  guides  us  all  in  this  great  but 
terrible  game,  I  say  good-night. 

It  is  11.30  now.  More  guns  are  pounding,  sending 
shells  into  "  Germany."  The  drmnfire  grows  louder 
every  minute.  It  looks  like  little  sleep  or  none  to-night; 
somewhere  on  the  road  our  boys  are  nearing  their 
destination. 


HOBNAILING  IT  INTO  THE  ARGONNE  243 

Here  I  am  going  to  try  for  a  little  sleep,  for  I  have 
been  at  the  machine  without  let-up  since  8  this  morning; 
it  has  been  a  pretty  hard  gi*ind  all  day. 

9  A.M.,  September  26. 

All  is  well.  The  sun  is  shining.  We  are  waiting  for 
the  first  reports  from  our  boys  up  "  there."  They  have 
gone  over  the  top  long  ago.  The  guns  are  still  pound- 
ing. So  dead  tired  that  I  never  even  looked  for  a  dugout, 
but  slept  under  this  desk  through  the  bombardment  from 
12.30  to  8  this  morning. 

The  Big  Woods  in  France, 
Morning,  September  26. 

This  day  goes  down  in  history. 

Our  entire  outfit,  stretched  over  a  two-kilometer  front 
and  occupying  the  center  of  the  battle-line,  went  over  the 
top  this  morning. 

Unofficial  word  comes  back  at  this  hour,  10.30,  tfiat 
the  boys  have  made  several  kilos  and  are  still  going. 

The  great  game  is  on  in  earnest  again. 

Great  drumfire  opened  at  11  last  night,  reaching  the 
crescendo  about  3  and  poimding  the  daylights  out  of 
Hunland  until  5 ;  then  it  slackened,  but  still  the  guns  are 
pounding  away.  Tanks  are  in  action,  American  aero- 
planes are  helping  our  fellows  and  the  boys  themselves 
are  "  there." 

There  is  not  much  more  to  say  just  now ;  it  will  be  sev- 
eral days  before  the  full  reports  are  in,  and  even  this 


244  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

bunch  of  office  men  will  be  on  the  march  before  many- 
hours.  It  is  the  first  time  since  the  boys  have  gone  to  the 
front  line  that  I  was  not  detailed  to  the  advance  P.  C. 
just  back  of  the  front  line;  I  was  up  there  for  three  or 
four  days  last  week,  but  was  sent  back  after  the  stage 
was  set. 

The  Big  Woods  in  France, 

September  27. 

''Americans  and  French  Smash  Enemy  on  Cham- 
pagne Front;  Yanks  Advance  Seven  Miles;  Keystone 
and  Western  Troops  Take  Many  Towns  and  5000  Men." 

That's  the  way  the  New  York  Herald  describes  the 
first  day  of  the  big  battle,  in  the  paper  this  morning — 
and  we  could  hardly  wait  until  we  read  the  details  about 
the  push  in  which  our  outfit  is  participating.  Then  to 
have  it  announced  the  very  first  day  that  Pennsylvania 
outfits  are  in  the  struggle — that  capped  the  climax  and 
set  a  new  mark.  The  Herald  said  it  was  an  "  innova- 
tion," but  it  was  more  than  that.  It  characterized  the 
artillery^  preparation  as  "unparalleled";  we  guessed 
that;  and  then  in  glowing  terms  it  spoke  of  the  fellows 
who  had  made  such  a  splendid  gain  on  the  first  day 
of  the  September  26th  push,  and  who  are  now  still 
"  going  to  it." 

I  can  almost  picture  the  excitement  back  home  when 
the  word  was  flashed  that  our  fellows  were  into  the  thick 
of  it  again — in  the  forefront  of  battle,  racing  down  hill 
and  over  valley,  yelling  like  Indians,  bayonets  glinting 
in  the  morning  sunlight  (for  I  told  you  that  the  day 


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HOBNAILING  IT  INTO  THE  ARGONNE  245 

brought  the  first  sunshine  we  had  seen  in  ten  days) .  Zero 
hour  was  5.30,  so  far  as  the  infantry  was  concerned — 
and  over  the  top  they  went,  without  a  signal.  Then 
through  the  brush,  dodging  among  the  trees — passing 
first  the  German  front  hne  and  then  the  German  second 
hne  trenches  and  captm-ing  prisoners  all  the  way  .  It  was 
more  like  a  big  football  rush  than  a  battle ;  prisoners  came 
easily,  and  before  night  there  were  scores  of  them  going 
down  the  road. 

"  How  does  it  feel  to  be  captured?  "  one  of  the  com- 
pany cooks  asked  a  big  German.  And  the  fellow  replied, 
in  his  own  tongue:  "  It  suits  me  all  right,  partner;  this  is 
better  than  fighting."  Some  carried  little  boxes  with 
their  personal  possessions,  others  had  a  good  share  of  their 
equipment  on  their  backs ;  but  none  was  in  the  least  dis- 
grmitled  over  the  turn  of  events. 

Our  own  boys  had  a  rough  section  of  the  country  to 
cover — rougher  than  the  rest  of  the  line,  we  are  told,  and 
yet  they  made  splendid  headway  and  fearlessly  forged 
ahead.  Casualties  were  almost  negligible — and  it  was, 
as  I  have  said,  more  like  a  great  race  with  the  goal  (re- 
treating Huns)  ever  in  sight,  and  batches  of  prisoners 
being  the  posts  marking  the  way.  The  gmis  are  booming 
more  than  ever  to-day  and  so,  even  without  direct  news 
from  the  front,  we  know  that  our  brave  fellows  are  at  it 
again,  advancing  their  lines — and  at  the  same  time  mak- 
ing more  history. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  ADVANCE  IN  THE  ARGONNE 

The  Role  That  the  112th  Played  From  September 
26th  to  October  9th— Battle  for  Le  Chene  Tondu, 
Capture  of  Chatel  Chehery  and  Hill  244 — 
Commendations   and  Winning   of   the  Red  Keystone. 

In  the  pages  of  history  that  America  has  written  in 
France  there  stands  one  name  suggestive  of  individual 
bravery,  of  splendid  morale  mider  tiying  conditions,  of 
doggedly  pursuing  the  Hun  despite  many  temporary 
machine  gun  obstacles ;  that  is  the  battle  of  the  Argonne 
— in  itself  part  of  the  great  Meuse-Argonne  offensive 
which  was  Germany's  death-blow. 

Two  divisions  were  assigned  the  task  of  clearing  the 
Argonne  forest  itself — the  77th,  with  a  front  of  six  kilo- 
meters, and  the  28th,  with  a  front  of  four,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  jump-off,  September  26th.  The  77th  was  on 
the  left  flank  of  the  56th  Brigade;  to  the  right  yji  the 
55th  Brigade  of  the  28th  Division  was  the  35th;  then 
stretching  out  in  an  easterly  line  came  the  91st,  37th,  79th, 
4th,  80th  and  33d  Divisions,  all  in  position  and  partici- 
pating in  the  attack  of  the  first  day. 

General  Pershing  gives  equal  praise  to  twenty-two 
divisions  he  mentions  as  having  played  a  valorous  part  in 
that  great  struggle,  and  so  it  is  not  the  purpose  of  this 
chapter  to  make  it  appear  that  the  28th  did  more  than 
any  other  division  on  the  fighting  line ;  it  played  its  own 

246 


THE  ADVANCE  IN  THE  ARGONNE      247 

part,  the  tasks  assigned  to  it  were  carried  out  with  dis- 
patch ;  the  ground  was  cleared  in  a  masterly  manner,  and 
men,  fatigued  by  long  marches,  without  food  and  fight- 
ing on,  not  knowing  when  the  relief  was  coming,  gave 
such  a  brave  account  of  themselves  that  their  deeds,  not 
always  recorded  in  glowing  headlines,  will  live  years 
afterward.  - ' 

The  role  that  the  112th  Infantry  played  in  the  Ar- 
gorme  was  intensely  heroic;  its  conduct  under  fire  was 
what  might  have  been  expected  following  such  actions  as 
those  about  the  Marne  and  along  the  Vesle ;  it  was  in  the 
Argonne,  perhaps  more  than  on  any  other  sector,  that  the 
fighting  qualities  of  the  men  who  made  up  the  old  8th 
and  16th  Regiments  from  the  Keystone  State  were  best 
demonstrated. 

Everj^  battalion  was  in  the  line  on  the  day  of  the 
jump-ofF;  every  battalion,  with  ranks  depleted,  was  in 
the  division  front  on  the  day  of  the  relief,  October  9th. 
For  more  than  tliirteen  days,  every  hour  and  every  :5tep 
of  the  march  through  underbrush  and  in  the  face  of 
machine  gun  nests  which  had  to  be  subdued,  it  was  on  the 
job — night  as  well  as  day.  Suffering  heavy  casualties 
after  the  first  great  rush,  yet  pushing  everlastingly  for- 
ward, persistently  beating  the  German  back  from  one 
patch  of  woods  to  another,  attacking  two  and  three  times 
a  day,  the  112th,  as  well  as  every  other  unit  of  the  28th 
Division  in  the  line  played  the  big  game  well. 

The  American  attack  in  the  Argonne,  along  the  Aire 
and  in  the  ^leuse  valley  came  as  a  surprise  to  the  Hun. 


248  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

It  is  a  matter  of  historical  record  that  the  Germans  who 
occupied  the  trenches  some  few  hmidred  yards  from  our 
front  line  did  not  know  that  American  soldiers  were  in 
that  sector  until  the  Germans  were  captured  and  the 
Yanks  pushed  far  beyond  the  second  German  line  in  the 
first  rush  into  Hun  territory.  The  Germans  admitted 
that  they  were  looking  for  a  French  shove,  but  had  not 
suspected  any  but  the  French  would  be  involved. 

Every  precaution  had  been  taken  to  keep  the  plans 
and  preparations  as  secret  as  possible;  when  American 
officers  went  to  the  front  to  reconnoiter,  they  wore  the 
blue  French  helmet  and  the  long,  blue  French  field  coat — 
just  as  at  St.  Mihiel,  before  Pershing's  First  Army 
plunged  against  the  salient  and  broke  it  off  in  a  record 
three-day  shove. 

When  heavy  guns  were  taken  forward,  when  tanks 
moved  up  to  their  position,  when  men  marched  to  areas 
near  the  location  for  the  jimip-ofF,  the  same  secrecy  was 
observed ;  the  traffic  was  at  night ;  by  day,  the  tall,  closely 
growing  trees  of  the  forest  camouflaged  the  strength  and 
the  character  of  the  forces. 

The  final  hike  that  brought  the  1st  Battalion  into  the 
front  line  in  the  Ravine  de  la  Brigade  meant  an  addi- 
tional 12  kilos  from  Le  Nefour,  on  the  ni^ht  of  Septem- 
ber 19th — making  a  total  of  74  kilometers,  or  more  than 
46  miles,  traversed  in  four  days,  with  scarcely  more  than 
six  hours'  sleep  during  96  hours  of  activity — a  record  no 
doughboy,  even  in  the  best  of  spirits,  would  care  to  repeat 
with  such  a  pack  as  he  carried  then.    It  had  been  a  hike 


THE  ADVANCE  IN  THE  ARGONNE      249 

through  mud  and  rain,  as  well  as  on  fair  moonlight  nights, 
A\'ith  no  warm  rations. 

The  112th  Infantry  went  into  the  Argonne  Forest 
with  Major  Charles  B.  Smathers  in  active  command, 
Colonel  Rickards  having  been  assipined  to  the  Brigade 
since  September  6th.  On  September  21st,  Lieut.- 
Colonel  John  P.  Bubb,  a  Regular  Army  man,  who  had 
seen  service  in  Pershing's  thrust  in  the  St.  Mihiel  salient, 
was  assigned  to  the  regiment,  and  so  when  the  time  came 
for  the  outfit  to  go  over  the  top,  it  went  into  action  under 
a  strange  commander. 

This,  however,  does  not  mean  that  Colonel  Bubb  was 
at  all  strange  to  the  military  game.  He  took  hold  of 
affairs  with  a  firm  hand  and  within  a  comparatively  short 
while  was  familiar  with  the  organization  of  the  regiment 
and  its  personnel.  He  made  several  minor  changes,  rela- 
tive to  staff  work  on  the  line  and  at  the  last  minute  abol- 
ished the  rmmer  chain  which  had  seen  valued  service 
along  the  Vesle  and  called  in  a  new  group  of  men  picked 
from  the  Headquarters  Company. 

Colonel  Bubb  was  still  dictating  the  field  order,  in 
accordance  with  specifications  and  maps  brought  in  sev- 
eral hours  before  from  Headquarters  28th  Division, 
when  Lieut.  Howard  K.  Gibson  reported  to  Regimental 
Headquarters  shortly  after  9  o'clock  on  the  night  of  Sep- 
tember 25th  and  announced  that  Brigade  had  received 
the  H  hour,  and  it  would  soon  be  made  knowTi  to  regi- 
mental commanders.  The  long  order,  replete  with  mili- 
tary details,  was  immediately  "  choked,"  and  only  that 


250  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

part  already  dictated  was  hurriedly  pounded  out  on  the 
typewriter  for  the  battalion  commanders,  and  a  few  min- 
utes after  10  they  not  only  had  copies  of  the  order,  but 
knew  the  exact  hour  at  which  their  men  were  to  go  over 
the  top  on  the  morning  of  September  26th. 

It  is  a  part  of  history  that  the  jump-off  took  place  at 
5.30,  after  the  heaviest  barrage  known  to  any  soldiers  on 
the  western  front.  The  massing  of  artillery  in  the  Ar- 
gonne,  night  after  night,  and  the  great  stores  of  shells 
that  had  been  rushed  forward  in  a  seemingly  endless 
stream  had  all  been  for  a  purpose;  and  when  hell  let 
loose  at  11  the  night  of  the  25th,  plenty  of  damage  re- 
sulted in  the  first  and  second  German  line  trenches,  in 
spite  of  their  depth  and  their  concrete  emplacements. 

Pushing  north,  the  entire  regiment  fought  its  way 
toward  the  Cote  des  Perrieres,  the  3d  Battalion  being  the 
first  to  reach  the  near  slopes  of  the  wooded  hill.  Two 
companies  of  the  2d  were  working  in  the  same  general 
direction;  the  remaining  companies  of  the  regiment  be- 
came lost  in  the  woods  and  finally  advanced  up  the  valley 
of  the  Aire  until  they  reached  the  German  wire,  then 
proceeded  through  the  German  trench  systems  to  the  foot 
of  the  Cote  des  Perrieres.  So,  by  4  that  afternoon,  every 
company  of  the  112th  was  well  in  position  on  the  southern 
slope  of  the  hill.  New  orders  called  for  an  attack  at 
7.15  that  evening,  but  this  was  postponed  on  account  of 
darkness.  In  the  first  day's  fighting  the  regiment  had 
made  a  gain  of  two  kilometers  through  the  most  heavily 
defended  part  of  the  Argonne  Forest — through  posi- 


THE  ADVANCE  IN  THE  ARGONNE      251 

tions  claimed  by  the  Germans  and  admitted  by  the 
French,  up  until  that  time,  to  be  impregnable. 

There  had  been  casualties,  but  the  number  had  been 
so  few  that  first  day  that  they  were  hardly  noticeable. 
Second  Lieut.  Thomas  A.  Elgin,  of  Company  K,  was 
gassed.    He  was  the  only  officer  hurt. 

The  artillery  had  done  its  work  well;  trenches  and 
strongpoints  were  found  unguarded,  and  the  taking  of 
prisoners  w^as  comparatively  easy.  The  3d  Battalion  got 
no  fewer  than  62  during  the  morning.  When  Lieut. 
Frank  Fleming  jumped  into  a  German  trench  with  his 
platoon,  he  found  more  than  forty  Huns  lined  up  for 
breakfast,  not  entirely  expecting  an  American  attack. 
They  were  taken  prisoners,  and  started  on  the  way  back 
to  the  provisional  "  pen  "  at  Corps  Headquarters. 

By  late  in  the  afternoon  the  prisoners  taken  by  the 
28th  were  streaming  back  to  the  rear  under  guard,  not  at 
all  discouraged  with  the  situation.  Some  wore  their 
"  squarehead  "  helmets,  others  the  iSeld  gray  fatigue. cap 
with  the  red  band ;  some  were  eating  American  hardtack, 
a  few  smiled — but  for  the  most  part,  the  customary  blank 
look  of  the  captured  "  squarehead  "  was  the  pronoimced 
feature  of  the  informal  parade  rearward.  Up  in  the  for- 
est were  others  of  their  comi'ades  who  had  already  paid 
the  price  of  the  first  day's  thrust  by  those  Americans  who 
knew  nothing  of  the  war  game  except  to  attack  and  keep 
on  pushing. 

The  regiment  attacked  at  daybreak  on  the  27th,  the 
3d  and  1st  Battalions  with  the  Machine  Gun  Company 


252  WITH  THE  11^2TH  IX  FRANCE 

around  the  eastern  slope  of  Cote  des  Perrieres,  the  2d 
Battalion  around  the  western  slope.  The  direction  of 
attack  was  such  as  to  close  the  vise  north  of  the  hill,  but 
after  an  advance  of  a  kilometer,  and  meeting  with  heavy 
resistance,  the  attacking  elements  withdrew  in  the  after- 
noon to  the  southern  slope  of  Cote  des  Perrieres,  in  view 
of  later  operations  farther  north.  These  called  for  a 
flanking  movement  up  the  valley  of  the  Aire. 

Shortly  after  dark  a  movement  was  begun  by  the 
entire  regiment  from  the  Cote  des  Perrieres,  via  the  road 
through  Varennes,  and  then  northeastward  up  the  Aire 
valley  to  La  Forge,  and  later  south  of  jMontblainville,  at 
which  place  the  column  turned  into  the  ravine  to  the  west 
and  formed  up  for  attack. 

Tliis  movement,  in  eif  ect,  was  the  opening  of  the  cost- 
liest and  hardest  fought  struggle  in  the  Argonne  in  which 
the  112th  Infantry  engaged;  the  battle  for  the  ridge  of 
'Le  Chene  Tondu.  The  dii-ection  of  attack  was  to  the 
northeast.  The  2d  Battalion  had  remained  in  position 
on  the  western  slope  of  Cote  des  Perrieres  to  cover  the 
withdrawal,  and  so  did  not  rejoin  the  other  units  of  the 
regiment  in  the  Depot  Ravine  until  the  afternoon  of 
September  28th. 

It  was  in  the  attack  of  the  morning  that  the  regiment 
lost  its  capable  Intelligence  Officer,  First  Lieut.  Ray- 
mond Abel.  At  the  head  of  the  regimental  Intelligence 
Section,  Abel  was  pushing  ahead  of  the  troops  when  Ger- 
man machine  gimnners  opened  fire.  Jumping  into  a 
shellhole  with  the  rest  of  his  detachment,  he  sought  cover 


THE  ADVANCE  IN  THE  ARGONNE      253 

for  a  few  seconds.  Emerging  again  into  the  open,  Abel 
gasped,  "  ]My  God,  boys,"  and  fell  dead  at  their  feet,  with 
a  bullet  above  his  heart. 

His  was  the  first  death  of  any  112th  officer  in  the 
Argonne;  in  the  strenuous  days  to  follow  other  brave 
men  dropped  to  rise  no  more  before  a  withering  fire  from 
enemy  machine  guns,  in  time  cleaned  out  and  their  oper- 
ators accorded  the  fate  they  deserved. 

Second  Lieut.  Frederick  I.  McKelvey,  of  Company 
M,  sustained  a  severe  machine  gun  wound  in  the  same 
action. 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th  the  regiment  attacked  the 
Chene  Tondu  from  its  position  in  the  Depot  Ravine,  ad- 
vancing about  a  kilometer  when  it  encountered  heavy 
machine  gun  fire.  When  the  2d  Battalion  moved  into 
position  shortly  after  noon,  a  new  attack  was  planned. 
Preceded  by  a  heavy  machine  gun  barrage  put  do^\ii  by 
the  107th  and  109th  JNIachine  Gun  Battalions,  the  regi- 
ment went  over  the  top  at  4  o'clock,  with  the  2d,  3d  and 
1st  Battahons  on  the  line,  in  the  order  named.  The  1st 
Battalion  proceeded  without  any  difficulty,  while  the  2d, 
occupying  the  left  flank,  was  held  up  by  heavy  machine 
gun  fire. 

As  the  112th  approached  the  crest  of  Chene  Tondu, 
more  heavy  fighting  was  encountered,  but  ultimately  this 
was  overcome,  at  the  cost  of  some  casualties,  and  the 
enemy  positions  on  the  crest  were  occupied  and  consoli- 
dated during  the  night.  Tlie  1st  Battalion  had  captured 
seventeen  prisoners,  the  2d  fourteen  and  the  8d  three — 


254  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

and  the  entire  regiment  had  advanced  two  kilometers 
through  the  German  hnes !  The  Machine  Gun  Company 
was  still  operating  with  the  1st  Battalion,  as  on  the  day 
previous,  and  the  trench  mortar  platoon  of  the  Head- 
quarters Company  continued  to  do  eiFective  work  against 
enemy  positions  with  the  2d.  It  was  during  this  attack 
that  Captain  Joseph  P.  Council  was  wounded  in  the  arm 
by  enemj^  machine  gun  fii-e,  and  First  Lieut.  Frederick 
O.  Blankenship,  of  Company  L,  was  killed.  The  news  of 
Blankenship's  death  brought  home  the  fact  that  the  Ar- 
gonne  was  taking  a  heavy  toll. 

The  dawning  of  another  day,  the  29th,  proved  that 
Le  Chene  Tondu,  despite  its  capture,  was  not  the  safest 
place  in  the  world.  Swept  by  enemy  artillery  and  ma- 
chine gun  fire,  it  claimed  too  great  a  price  to  retain  it  for 
long,  and  shortly  after  daybreak,  mider  orders  of  Colonel 
Conger,  then  in  command  of  the  56th  Infantry  Brigade, 
the  1st  and  3d  Battalions  were  withdrawn  from  the  ridge 
to  the  foot  of  the  southern  slope.  The  3d  Battalion  and 
Machine  Gun  Company  attempted  an  attack  around  the 
eastern  edge  of  Chene  Tondu,  and  this  was  repulsed  by 
machine  gun  fire  from  the  heights  west  of  Apremont. 
The  2d  Battalion,  meanwliile,  was  holding  its  own  and 
retaining  its  position  on  the  ridge,  until  4  in  the  after- 
noon, and  the  111th  Infantry  moved  up  to  assume  those 
positions  left  by  the  112th;  immediately  the  1st  Battalion 
of  the  112th  was  ordered  to  advance  on  the  Chene  Tondu 
in  support  of  a  battalion  of  the  111th,  and  on  reaching 
the  crest  it  was  found  necessary  to  put  two  companies  in 


THE  ADVANCE  IN  THE  ARGONNE      255 

the  line  to  protect  the  flanks  of  tlie  111th  Infantry.  The 
other  units  of  the  regiment  were  ordered  to  the  Depot 
Kavine,  to  remain  in  support. 

That  day  Chene  Tondu  had  claimed  the  hves  of  such 
officers  as  Captain  Hugh  R.  Doane,  of  Company  H, 
famed  as  a  bayonet  instructor  at  Camp  Hancock;  Second 
Lfieut.  Randall  S.  Houghton,  of  Company  A,  recently 
promoted  from  the  ranks;  and,  ultimately,  I'irst  Lieut. 
I'rank  R.  Fleming,  Company  M,  and  Second  Lieut. 
Walter  J.  Flynn,  Company  D,  both  severely  wounded  in 
the  engagement.  Other  officers  who  were  womided  in- 
cluded: First  Lieut.  Frederick  L.  Pond,  Company  B, 
and  Second  Lieut.  Hoyt  R.  Ogi-am,  Company  D,  indi- 
cating that  the  1st  Battalion  was  being  hard  hit.  Four 
days  of  the  hardest  kind  of  fighting,  nerve-racking  and 
exhausting,  had  begun  wearing  on  the  men.  September 
28th  and  29th  had  proved  hard  days  in  the  line,  with 
casualties  on  the  increase,  machine  gun  nests  more  both- 
ersome than  before — but  through  it  all,  the  112th  never 
lost  heart. 

Colonel  Rickards,  walking  with  a  decided  limp  and 
barely  able  to  get  about,  reached  the  rear  P.  C.  of  the 
regiment,  a  mile  behind  the  jump-off  line,  on  Sunday 
morning,  September  29th.  Late  on  the  night  of  Sep- 
tember 27th,  on  his  way  from  one  headquarters  to  an- 
other, he  had  been  bmnped  off  the  side  of  the  road  by  an 
artillery  caisson  and  thrown  do^\Ti  a  15-foot  embank- 
ment, sustaining  internal  injuries.  Suffering  intense 
pain  and  with  one  leg  so  crippled  tliat  he  could  not  walk 


256  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

much,  Colonel  Rickards  refused  to  be  evacuated,  and 
only  when  the  pam  became  unbearable,  late  on  the  night 
of  the  28th,  did  he  consent  to  telephone  Division  Head- 
quarters, and  Colonel  Conger  was  sent  to  replace  him  as 
Brigade  Commander.  Before  he  was  evacuated  to  the 
Field  Hospital  at  Les  Islettes,  Colonel  Rickards  told 
the  force  at  the  rear  P.  C.  how  the  game  was  going  up 
the  line. 

"  It  has  been  worse  than  hell,"  he  said.  "  It  has  been 
a  fight  for  existence  all  the  way,  but  we  are  getting  out  of 
the  woods  now,  and  things  will  go  better.  If  I  was  sniped 
at  once,  I  was  smped  at  a  dozen  times,  and  one  rifle  bullet 
which  passed  my  nose  was  fired  by  a  German  I  feel  con- 
fident who  was  not  more  than  fifty  feet  from  me.  That 
was  the  closest  call  of  all,  and  I  didn't  have  even  an  auto- 
matic with  me." 

He  told  of  thirteen  Germans  lying  along  the  road 
taking  things  easy  following  their  captm-e.  Four  Yanks 
came  along  bearing  a  wounded  man  on  a  stretcher.  The 
Colonel,  intent  on  keeping  the  Hun  busy,  spoke  to  his 
aide  and  without  delay  the  latter  told  the  Huns  in  their 
own  tongue,  "  Get  up  and  carry  that  stretcher  to  the 
rear,"  and  the  whole  thirteen  bounded  to  their  feet  at 
once,  their  faces  wreathed  in  smiles. 

Late  that  afternoon  Colonel  Rickards  was  taken  in 
the  regimental  car  to  Les  Islettes,  and  despite  his  opti- 
mistic prediction  that  he  would  be  back  in  a  day  or  so,  his 
injuries  were  such  that  he  never  returned  to  the  Argonne. 
The  ligaments  of  several  ribs  had  been  torn,  in  addition 


THE  ADVANCE  IN  THE  ARGONNE  257 

to  the  injury  to  the  one  leg — and  he  was  confined  to  bed 
for  more  than  ten  days,  visited  each  day,  however,  by  his 
faithful  orderly,  Sergeant  Roger  Bauwin,  of  Kittanning, 
and  his  chauffeur,  Harry  D.  Shriver,  of  Harrisbur^. 

Meanwliile,  there  were  many  stories  coming  back 
from  the  front;  many  rumors  coming  from  the  rear.  It 
was  at  this  time  that  the  Metz  rumor  gained  currency; 
that  the  Americans  had  taken  Metz  and  40,000  prisoners, 
and  that  the  war  was  soon  to  end.  To  men  who  had  gone 
two  and  three  daj'^s  at  a  time  without  a  cooked  meal  and 
who  were  looking  for  some  relief  from  the  strenuous  work 
of  the  front  line,  this  came  like  a  blessing — but  it  wasn't 
true.  Yet  it  reached  the  men  up  the  line,  and  they  fought 
all  the  harder  to  bring  the  activities  on  their  front  to  an 
end — and  little  did  anyone  then  engaged  in  the  Argonne 
campaign  realize  just  how  far  the  doughboys  were  to 
travel  and  how  much  still  remained  to  be  done  until  the 
Armistice  Day  was  to  come. 

The  story  is  told  of  a  Colonel  of  the  Southwest,  "^'ho 
spoke  with  a  distinctly  Southern  accent,  stumbling  into 
Brigade  Headquarters  on  the  night  of  September  28th, 
adding  that  he  was  "  powerfully  hungry,  tired  and  the 
Germans  haven't  been  any  too  kind  to  me."  He  was  six 
and  a  half  feet  tall,  thin  as  a  rail  and  wore  a  German  coat. 
As  officers  scurried  around  and  proceeded  to  share  their 
meager  repast  with  liim,  he  told  his  story. 

Two  nights  before  he  and  two  members  of  his  staff  had 
been  riding  some  distance  ahead  of  the  column.  Before 
they  realized  where  they  were,  they  had  gone  too  far  on 

17 


258  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

the  woodland  highway,  and  Germans  seized  them  as  pris- 
oners, put  them  in  a  shellhole  and  then,  uistead  of  placing 
a  guard  over  them,  j^nt  two  machine  guns  in  place,  some 
distance  from  the  hole,  so  that  the  guns  could  crossfire  at 
will.  Every  now  and  then  a  machine  gun  bullet  would 
whiz  over  the  crater,  followed  by  several  from  the  other 
gun — and  not  one  of  the  trio  dared  put  his  head  above  the 
rim.  The  Colonel  finally  decided  to  make  a  break  for  it, 
but  the  other  two,  not  willing  to  take  the  chance,  said  they 
would  remain  beliind.  Waiting  for  a  moment  in  the 
darkness  which  he  thought  particularly  opportune,  he 
crawled  over  the  rim  and  made  a  dash  for  the  woods.  If 
any  bullets  were  fired,  they  missed  liim.  He  bmiiped  into 
a  German  officer  of  his  own  height  wearing  a  heavy  coat 
— "  and  when  I  got  tlu'ough  arguing  with  liim,"  the  Col- 
onel added,  "  the  German  wasn't  in  need  of  any."  For  a 
day  and  a  half  he  crept  through  the  Argonne,  hiding  in  the 
brush,  dodging  macliine  gun  nests  and  keepmg  under 
cover.  At  last,  he  reached  the  American  lines  on  the 
night  of  the  28th,  located  the  Brigade  Headquarters  and 
told  his  story. 

With  the  American  wounded  streaming  back  from 
the  Argonne,  mainly  over  the  highway  that  runs  from 
Varennes,  tlu'ough  Neuvilly  to  Les  Islettes,  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  Salvation  Army  got  into  action. 
The  Y,  under  the  direction  of  J.  Campbell  Brandon,  a 
Butler  lawyer,  w^ho  had  been  with  the  28th  at  Camp  Han- 
cock and  overseas  as  well,  set  up  a  rolling  kitchen  in  the 
ruins  at  Varennes  and  passed  out  hot  cocoa  free  of  cliarge 


THE  ADVANCE  IN  THE  ARGONNE      259 

to  the  wounded  as  they  trudged  back.  To  these  and  to 
men  in  the  ambulances  they  liberally  gave  cigarettes 
and  tobacco;  and  at  Neuvilly  the  Salvation  Army,  true 
to  tradition,  was  baking  doughnuts  and  flinging  flap- 
jacks at  record-breaking  rates. 

Tliree  more  days  of  activity  in  the  Argonne — Sep- 
tember 30th,  October  1st  and  2d — were  days  of  battling 
for  Le  Chene  Tondu,  still  swept  by  fire  directed  upon  it 
from  enemy  strongholds  in  hills  to  the  north.  On  the  last 
day  of  September  the  1st  Battalion  was  busy  cooperating 
with  the  111th  Infantry  on  the  crest  of  the  ridge,  while 
in  the  valley  below  other  units  of  the  regiment  had  made 
every  preparation  to  meet  a  German  counter-attack  if 
one  came. 

On  the  next  morning  the  Machine  Gun  Company  and 
2d  Battalion  moved  into  support  positions  behind  the 
111th  and  established  liaison  with  the  77th  Division  on 
the  left.  The  3d  Battalion  had  orders  to  attack  around 
the  eastern  slope  of  Le  Chene  Tondu.  This  attack  com- 
menced at  6  o'clock  and  was  proceeding  under  these 
orders  when  it  met  part  of  a  general  German  counter- 
attack along  the  entire  battle-front — this,  the  last  deter- 
mined counter-ofl*ensive  that  the  Huns  launched  in  the 
Argonne  Forest.  The  28th  Division  played  its  full  share 
in  repulsing  the  attack ;  after  two  hours  of  heavy  fighting 
in  the  112th  area,  the  struggle  had  been  decided.  Second 
Lieut.  Walter  V.  Agin,  one  of  the  new  Company  D 
officers,  was  killed,  and  the  casualties  among  enlisted  men 
were  comparatively  large,  however.     The  3d  Battalion 


260  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

withdrew  to  the  position  in  Depot  Ravine  at  2  in  the 
afternoon,  upon  confirmation  that  the  attack  had  been 
repulsed  on  both  flanks. 

On  October  2d  the  1st  Battalion  was  withdrawn  from 
the  crest  of  Chene  Tondu  and  took  up  positions  with  the 
other  elements ;  and  as  luck  would  have  it,  Jerry  let  loose 
with  his  artillery  from  Hills  244  and  223  and  the  Bois  de 
Cornay;  and  played  *'  merry  hell  "  with  troops  in  Depot 
Ravine.  Despite  this  period  of  shellfire,  vigorous  patrols 
were  carried  out  and  sent  forward  for  the  purpose  of 
feeling  out  the  enemy  strength.  It  was  dm'ing  this  action 
that  Second  Lieut.  Philip  E.  Kriechbaum,  of  Company 
C,  was  killed,  having  been  picked  off  by  a  German  sniper. 
Among  those  officers  wounded  in  action  were  First  Lieut. 
Cecil  R.  Everett,  of  Company  B,  who  was  gassed;  and 
Second  Lieut.  Percy  W.  LaPaze,  of  Company  A,  sent  to 
the  rear  with  a  gunshot  wound.  First  Lieut.  Frank  L. 
Ruffijig,  in  command  of  the  2d  Battalion  since  the  evacu- 
ation of  Captain  Miller  on  October  1st,  and  Second 
Lieut.  Victor  Volz,  of  Company  F,  became  hospital  cases 
in  the  action  of  the  following  day,  both  woimded  by  gun- 
fire. Volz  was  carrying  loose  pistol  ammunition  in  his 
trousers  pockets;  hit  by  a  piece  of  shell,  this  exploded, 
inflicting  terrible  injury,  and  his  death  followed  shortly 
afterward. 

Lieut.-Colonel  Bubb  having  been  relieved  of  his  com- 
mand on  September  30th,  Major  Smathers  had  once 
more  resumed  command  of  the  112th,  directing  the  ef- 
forts of  October  1st  and  2d.    It  was  during  this  period 


THE  ADVANCE  m  THE  ARGONNE      261 

of  trying  the  clear  the  woods  about  Le  Chene  Tondu  that 
Major-General  Charles  Muir  visited  the  front,  looked 
over  the  112th  territoiy  and  with  characteristic  sarcasm, 
well-meant  but  not  always  well-chosen,  exclaimed : 

"  Major,  your  men  are  a  bunch  of  damned  cowards  I 
They  can't  advance!  " 

Major  Smathers  straightened,  his  face  flushed  a  little 
despite  its  pallor,  and  he  replied  in  a  calm  voice,  with 
plenty  of  emphasis : 

"  No  man,  not  even  a  Major-General,  will  call  my 
men  cowards.  Look  for  yourself.  Look  at  those 
men " 

And  as  he  spoke  he  pointed  to  twenty-four  dough- 
boj^s,  lying  prone  on  the  ground,  their  faces  to  the  foe 
— dead. 

"  Those  are  not  cowards,  sir;  the  112th  is  up  against 
a  serious  proposition,  but  it  is  giving  a  good  account  of 
itself,  and  will  continue  to  advance." 

General  Muir  had  no  reply.  Doughboys  who  hap- 
pened to  be  in  the  immediate  vicinity  at  that  time  spread 
the  stor)^  by  "  wireless,"  and  INIajor  Smathers'  popularity 
grew  several  hundred  per  cent,  in  almost  no  time.  He 
had  no  thought  of  danger  and  was  with  his  men  every 
hour  of  the  day  and  night,  sharing  those  sleepless  \qgils 
which  were  part  of  the  life  of  the  front  line  and  only  some 
of  the  many  hardships  of  those  days  of  the  Argonne. 

No  one  is  likely  to  forget  either  how  Colonel  Bubb 
went  over  the  top  and  advanced  with  the  runner  chain 
before  the  regiment  got  started,  or  how  little  he  seemed 


262  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

to  care  for  the  half  dozen  or  so  machine  guns  that  seemed 
to  be  sniping  at  him  every  time  he  emerged  into  the  open. 
Braver  men  than  Colonel  Bubb,  Major  Smathers  and 
finally  Lieut.-Colonel  James  A.  Shannon,  who  came  to 
command  the  regiment  on  October  3d,  were  not  known  to 
the  112th  during  those  days.  They  were  men — ^white 
clear  through,  as  the  doughboy  says,  and  they'd  go  the 
limit;  their  conduct  was  an  inspiration  at  all  times,  and 
their  bravery,  as  that  of  Colonel  Rickards,  has  not 
always  been  given  the  credit  it  desei-ves;  the  men  who 
went  tlu'ough  the  Ai-gonne  under  their  command  know 
the  real  story  and  it  w^ill  never  die. 

October  3d  found  the  2d  Battalion  leaving  its  posi- 
tion in  the  valley  to  go  to  the  support  of  the  111th  on 
Chene  Tondu ;  meanwhile  the  other  units  of  the  regiment 
were  marched  up  the  Montblainville-Apremont  Road, 
reporting  to  the  Commanding  General  of  the  55th  Bri- 
gade, in  compliance  with  other  orders.  Other  orders, 
however,  were  received,  and  when  the  head  of  the  column 
reached  Apremont,  the  men  turned  about  and  retraced 
their  steps  to  Depot  Valley. 

At  an  officers'  conference  held  at  midnight,  orders 
were  issued  for  the  canying  out  of  an  attack  on  the  morn- 
ing of  October  -ith,  in  a  northerly  direction,  between  the 
111th  Infantr}^,  on  the  ridge,  and  the  77th  Division,  on 
their  left.  The  column  moved  in  the  following  order: 
2d  and  3d  Battalions,  Machine  Gun  Company  and  1st 
Battalion.  The  2d  moved  foi-ward,  took  up  the  assigned 
position  between  the  111th  Infantry  and  the  77th  Divi- 


THE  ADVANCE  IN  THE  ARGON^E  263 

sion,  and  then  the  supporting  battalions  withdrew  to  the 
Depot  Ravine,  to  remain  there  during  the  day.  Late  that 
afternoon,  however,  they  moved  westward  around  the 
foot  of  Chene  Tondu,  ari'iving  at  the  cross-roads  noi-th 
of  the  cemetery  on  the  crest  after  dark,  and  held  the  posi- 
tion during  the  night.  Regimental  Headquarters  was 
established  in  a  former  German  hospital ;  and  the  domi- 
nation of  the  ridge  was  at  last  complete  and  undisputed. 

Following  out  the  plan  of  cleaning  out  machine  gim 
nests  and  improving  the  immediate  front,  the  2d  Bat- 
talion attempted  an  attack  through  the  111th  at  9  o'clock 
the  morning  of  the  5th,  moving  forward  in  a  northwest- 
erly direction.  The  1st  and  3d  Battalions  were  being 
formed  for  an  assault  as  well,  when  orders  came  to  expe- 
dite the  movement  around  the  south  side  of  Chene  Tondu 
and  advance  up  the  valley  of  the  Aire  River  to  Apre- 
mont,  in  support  of  the  55th  Brigade.  This  movement 
was  executed  and  the  1st  and  3d  Battalions  took  up  posi- 
tion on  the  hillside  west  of  the  river,  immediately  south 
of  Apremont,  remaining  there  during  the  day  and  that 
night.  At  2  in  the  afternoon  the  2d  Battalion  was  with- 
dra\Mi  from  its  position  on  the  ridge,  and  three  hours  later 
had  joined  the  remainder  of  the  regiment  near  Apre- 
mont. The  entire  movement  was  executed  with  the  idea 
of  attacking  Chatel  Chehery  and  Hill  244  by  a  movement 
through  the  55th  Brigade  sector. 

The  importance  of  these  positions  cannot  be  over- 
estimated; from  Chatel  Chehery  and  its  dominating 
ridges,  Hills  244  and  223,  to  the  west,  as  well  as  the  Bois 


264  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

de  Cornay,  the  Hun  had  been  hurhng  his  largest  caliber 
shells  into  the  fastnesses  of  the  Argonne,  raining  shrap- 
nel and  death  on  the  shallow  trenches  and  funk-holes,  as 
well  as  upon  the  supply  dump  at  Montblainville  and  the 
wagon  train  located  in  that  vicinity.  Roadways,  filled  at 
night  with  troops  bound  for  the  line,  crowded  at  other 
hours  with  walking  wounded  and  traffic,  were  openly  ex- 
posed to  this  shellfire;  thus  the  clearing  of  these  positions 
of  all  Germans  meant  a  distinct  forward  step  in  the  clear- 
ing of  the  whole  Argonne  Forest.  Chene  Tondu  and  its 
persistent  machine  gun  nests,  as  well  as  the  patches  of 
woods  adjoining,  had  been  taken — and  now  there  re- 
mained one  more  master  stroke  in  the  part  of  the  28th 
Division. 

That  night  of  the  5th  Colonel  Shannon  and  the  bat- 
tahon  conmianders  of  the  112th  formed  a  patrol  and 
reconnoitered  the  Aire  valley  to  Chatel  Chehery.  This 
revealed  that  the  town  was  still  held  by  the  Germans  and 
that  the  country  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Aire  was  well 
patrolled  by  the  Boche — so  well  patrolled,  in  fact,  that 
the  officers'  patrol  ran  into  a  Jerry  party  and  had  diffi- 
culty in  returning  to  Apremont  intact.  The  attack  had 
been  planned  for  the  early  morning  of  the  6th,  but  the 
officers'  patrol  had  to  fight  its  way  out  and  was  so  de- 
layed in  returning  that  the  attack  was  postponed  until 
the  7th. 

Patrol  activity  to  the  northwest  of  Apremont  fea- 
tured the  duties  of  the  6th,  and  the  same  reports  were 
returned:  Hills  244  and  223  and  the  town  of  Chatel 


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THE  ADVANCE  IN  THE  ARGONNE  265 

Cheher}^  were  held  in  force.  German  artillery  had  not 
let  up  to  an}'-  noticeable  extent,  and  continued  to  inflict 
casualties  through  heavy  shelling  of  the  positions  about 
Apremont  and  the  vicinity  of  La  Forge;  but  our  own 
guns  were  answering  by  firing  on  Chatel  Chehery,  Hills 
244  and  223  and  the  intermediate  ridge. 

Had  the  original  plan  of  attack  been  carried  out,  it 
would  have  meant  merely  a  local  attack  on  Hill  244.  In- 
stead, this  was  changed  to  a  major  operation — an  attack 
by  the  28th  and  the  82d  Divisions,  for  the  purpose  of 
forcing  an  evacuation  of  the  Argonne  Forest.  Definite 
orders  were  received  at  midnight  on  the  6th,  outlining  the 
112th's  objectives  as  Hill  244  and  that  part  of  the  town 
at  the  base  of  the  hill.  The  order  of  battle,  from  right  to 
left,  read:  2d,  1st  and  3d  Battalions,  Machine  Gun  Com- 
pany. To  the  110th  was  assigned  the  task  of  clearing  the 
northern  part  of  the  town  and  Hill  223. 

The  112th  left  Apremont  at  3  in  the  morning,  and 
under  the  cover  of  darkness,  took  up  positions  along  the 
river  bank.  The  attack  itself  was  launched  at  5  o'clock, 
in  a  heavy  fog,  under  cover  of  an  artillery  and  machine 
gun  barrage.  The  2d  and  1st  Battalions  entered  Chatel 
Cheherj^  and  the  1st  Battalion  continued  to  the  west,  up 
Hill  244,  meeting  with  heavy  resistance  from  machine 
gunners  and  grenades.  The  2d,  having  attained  its  ob- 
jective, remained  in  Chatel  Chehery  in  support. 

JNIeanwhile,  the  3d  Battalion  had  followed  closely  the 
preliminary  artillery  ban-age,  and  advanced  on  the  enemy 
positions  on  Hill  244  as  the  barrage  rolled  forward  a  bun- 


266  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

dred  yards  every  four  minutes.  German  machine  guns 
and  snipers  kept  up  a  raking  fire  from  the  strongholds 
on  Hills  244  and  223,  but  by  8.30  the  positions  on  the 
ridges  were  consolidated. 

Perhaps  at  no  other  time  during  the  Argonne  thrust 
had  the  fighting  assumed  a  more  spectacular  character 
than  about  Hill  244,  where  undaunted  soldiers  climbed 
hand  over  hand  up  the  cliff  in  order  to  make  secure  the 
possession  of  the  slopes  and  the  crest  of  that  strongly 
held  German  position.  Wire  that  had  remained  un- 
touched by  the  heavy  fire  from  American  guns  had  to 
be  cut,  and  this  was  done  only  after  heavy  losses. ' 

At  7  that  morning,  as  he  watched  the  attack  pro- 
ceeding, Lieut.-Colonel  Shannon  was  shot  through  the 
neck  by  a  German  sniper  as  he  stood  in  the  doorway  of 
a  building  facing  the  ridge ;  he  was  carried  away  only  to 
die  a  short  while  later  as  he  was  being  taken  to  a  field 
hospital  in  an  ambulance.  Captain  Reynolds,  who  had 
come  to  the  regiment  at  the  same  time  as  Colonel  Shan- 
non, had  also  been  wounded,  though  not  fatally,  and 
Lieut.  Shatzer  then  took  command  of  the  2d  Battalion. 
Captain  Graff  became  acting  commander  of  the  regi- 
ment; Second  Lieut.  McKinney  was  in  charge  of  the  1st 
and  Captain  William  Smith  commanded  the  3d 
Battalion. 

The  regiment  had  lost  so  heavily  that  in  some  cases 
sergeants  commanded  companies  and  corporals  were  in 
charge  of  platoons.  The  112th  had  gone  into  the  Ar- 
gonne with  a  strength  of  77  officers  and  2892  men;  it 


THE  ADVANCE  IN  THE  ARGONNE  267 

came  out  of  the  action  with  only  10  officers  and  533  men 
left  in  the  front  line. 

While  the  3d  Battalion  was  devoting  its  attention  to 
Hill  244,  the  1st  had  fought  its  way  through  the  southern 
part  of  the  town,  capturing  twelve  prisoners,  and  was 
attacking  the  hill  from  the  east  and  north.  The  arrival 
of  the  327th  Regiment  of  the  82d  Division  at  12.35  then 
freed  the  2d  Battalion  for  a  flanking  operation,  and  the 
advance  was  continued.  To  the  2d  Battalion  was  as- 
signed the  task  of  proceeding  to  the  cross-roads  immedi- 
ately south  of  Drachen,  and  losing  no  time,  it  reached  that 
244  stronghold  at  2  in  the  afternoon.  Here  machine  gun 
fire  held  up  its  advance  until  the  day  following. 

The  1st  and  3d  Battalions  meanwhile  maintained 
their  positions  on  Hill  244,  and  on  the  morning  of  the 
8th  participated  in  the  final  mopping-up.  During  the 
afternoon  these  units,  together  with  the  Machine  Gun 
Company,  were  withdrawn  from  the  ridge  under  a  plan 
to  attack  westward,  through  the  valley  south  of  Hill  2*23 ; 
at  the  last  minute,  however,  these  plans  were  changed, 
and  it  was  decided  to  maintain  a  force  on  Hill  244.  How- 
ever, the  1st  Battalion,  under  command  of  Lieut.  Wil- 
liam E.  Franks,  had  advanced  under  the  previous  orders 
and  reached  its  ohjective  on  the  railroad  two  kilometers 
west  of  Chatel  Chehery  at  9.30  that  night,  Octoher  8th 
— a  position  approximately  a  kilometer  in  advance  of  any 
other  unit  of  the  28th  Division.  It  was  able  to  hold  and 
consolidate  its  position  until  the  time  of  its  relief  on 
October  9th. 


268  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Late  in  the  day  the  2d  was  called  in  from  the  left 
flank  and  took  up  the  old  position  on  Hill  244.  There 
was  no  minimizing  the  fact  that  day  that  the  110th  and 
112th  Regiments  had  accomplished  in  two  days'  fighting 
far  more  than  could  reasonably  be  expected  of  them  after 
more  than  ten  days  of  the  hardest  fighting  they  had  ever 
seen.  One  likes  to  think,  then,  of  what  Colonel  Frederick 
Palmer  has  said  in  Collier's: 

For  a  week  the  28th  had  fretted  against  the  formidable  Taille 
I'Abbe,  with  its  only  avenue  of  approach  open  fields  under  the  eyes 
of  waiting  machine  gunners.  Now  it  worked  its  way  around  this 
frowning  obstacle  and  it  crossed  the  Aire  and  took  Chatel  Chehery 
with  its  storming  parties,  making  sure  that  at  least  one  height,  Hill 
244,  would  not  enfilade  the  1st  any  further.  The  28th  had  been  in 
that  infernal  trough  of  the  Aire  for  two  weeks  at  a  cost  of  4000 
casualties;  but  before  it  was  relieved  it  had  finally  cleaned  the  last 
of  the  Germans  out  of  the  thickets,  the  Abbe  Woods,  which  had  been 
the  nightmare  of  its  Argonne  career.  Some  people  were  calling  it 
the  Iron  Division.  Steel  is  tempered  iron.  The  28th  was  tempered 
in  the  Aire  Valley.  After  the  Aire  the  Susquehanna  or  the  Mononga- 
hela  ought  to  look  pleasant. 

The  orders  for  the  relief  of  the  entire  28th  Division 
reached  the  112th  advance  P.  C.  shortly  after  the  arrival 
of  Colonel  Blanton  Winship,  the  new  conmiander,  at  6.30 
o'clock,  and  by  5  on  the  morning  of  Octobei-  9th,  all,  ex- 
cept the  1st  Battalion,  had  been  relieved  by  correspond- 
ing units  of  the  82d  Division.  The  1st  was  relieved  two 
and  a  half  hours  later.  A  merciful  fog  helped  save  the 
day,  and  there  were  few  casualties  as  the  112th  found  its 
way  to  positions  a  kilometer  south  of  Montblainville. 


THE  ADVANCE  IN  THE  ARGONNE      269 

The  nightmare  of  the  Argonne  was  over  at  last,  but 
the  ghosts  of  a  woodland  in  which  death,  terror  and  tor- 
ture had  lurked  ever  since  the  28th  Division  went  into 
the  fight  were  not  to  be  forgotten  for  many  days  after 
the  war  had  closed — and  it  seemed  a  long,  long  trail  just 
then  until  the  war  would  end,  though  there  wasn't  a 
doughboy  but  who  was  willing  to  declare  that  the  Ger- 
mans couldn't  hold  out  long  against  such  a  scrap  as  the 
Americans  were  putting  up,  against  such  a  forward  rush 
as  the  French  were  making  farther  west  or  against  such 
a  splendid  hammering  as  the  British  were  accomplishing 
on  the  other  end  of  the  far-flung  battle-line,  in  Flan- 
ders fields. 

The  full  stor}^  of  the  112th's  part  in  the  battle  of  the 
Argonne  may  never  be  known ;  maps  and  data  gathered 
since  the  struggle  can  show  the  location,  the  positions  of 
the  troops  and  tell  of  the  loss  in  men  killed  and  wounded. 
But  the  complete  story  of  individual  bravery,  of  heroism 
in  the  face  of  hostile  sweeping  fire  and  the  dogged  deter- 
mination-to-win that  drove  our  boys  forward  when  food 
was  slow  in  coming  and  when  they  were  ready  to  drop 
from  exhaustion  will  perhaps  never  be  related  in  its 
entirety. 

The  bravery  of  Sergeant  Ralph  I.  Summerton,  of 
Company  I,  in  returning  to  the  attack  of  Chatel  Chehery 
when  he  had  been  wounded  and  then  learned  that  the 
company  was  without  a  commander,  is  illustrative  of  the 
heroism  of  the  1  I2t]i  men  in  action.  He  not  only  returned 
and  led  the  company  through  the  attack,  but  ascended 


270  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Hill  244  under  heavy  fire  and  was  again  wounded,  his 
actions  being  an  inspiration  to  eveiyone  of  his  comrades. 
Summerton  was  taken  to  the  rear  badly  battered  up,  but 
weeks  afterward,  while  he  lay  in  a  hospital  recuperating 
from  his  wounds,  he  received  a  letter  signed  in  General 
Pershing's  own  hand,  congratulating  him  on  his  courage, 
mentioning  that  he  had  won  a  commission  to  Second 
Lieutenant  and  that  he  had  been  awarded  the  Distin- 
g-uished  Service  Cross. 

More  than  sixty  others  of  the  regiment  were  recom- 
mended for  the  D.  S.  C.  for  bravery  in  the  Argonne,  and 
these  recommendations  were  sent  forward  three  times, 
and  finally  lost  in  the  "  red  tape  "  procedure  that  sur- 
rounds much  of  army  paper  work — cases  worthy  of  that 
honor  which  America  has  seen  fit  to  bestow  upon  many 
others.  But  no  matter ;  the  memory  of  their  sacrifice  and 
the  story  of  their  bravery  under  fire  are  those  anecdotes 
which  will  find  a  hearing  year  after  year  when  the  night- 
mare of  the  Argonne  is  fading. 

No  man  in  the  28th  Division  is  apt  to  forget  the  im- 
port surrounding  General  Orders  10  of  the  28th  Divi- 
sion, dated  October  21,  1918,  designating  the  28th  as 
one  of  the  fighting  *'  red  "  divisions.    It  read: 

The  Division  Commander  desires  to  express  his  appreciation  to 
all  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  28th  Division  and  of  attached  units, 
who,  at  all  times  during  the  advance  in  the  Valley  of  the  Aire  and 
in  the  Argonne  Forest,  in  spite  of  many  hardships  and  constant  per- 
sonal danger,  gave  their  best  efforts  to  further  the  success  of  the 

D.      .     .  £> 

iv:sion. 

As  a  result  of  this  operation,  which  extended  from  5.30  on  the 


THE  ADVANCE  IN  THE  ARGONNE      271 

morning  of  September  26th  mitil  the  night  of  8th-9th  October,  with 
almost  continuous  fighting,  the  enemy's  line  was  forced  back  more 
than  ten  kilometers.  In  spite  of  most  stubborn  and  at  times  desperate 
resistance,  the  enemy  was  driven  out  of  Grand  Boureuilles,  Petite 
Boureuilles,  Varennes,  ]\Iontblainville,  Apreraont,  Pleinchamp  Farm, 
La  Forge  and  Chatel  Chehery,  and  the  strongholds  on  Hills  223,  244 
and  Le  Chene  Tondu  were  captured  in  the  face  of  strong  machine 
gun  and  artillery  fire. 

The  order  continued,  quoting  the  letter  of  Major 
General  Liggett,  of  the  First  Army  Corps,  dated  Oc- 
tober 8th : 

I  desire  to  express  to  the  28th  Division  and  its  Commander  my 
appreciation  of  the  splendid  work  done  by  the  Division  on  October 
1,  1918. 

The  capture  of  Plill  244  and  the  combined  advance  of  the  right 
and  left  brigades  bringing  about  the  fall  of  the  very  strong  positions 
of  the  enemy  on  the  Chene  Tondu  and  the  Taille  I'Abbe  demonstrate 
excellent  leadership  and  first-class  fighting  ability. 

The  advance  in  exploitation  in  front  of  your  right  brigade  re- 
sulting from  the  foregoing  actions  was  a  very  bold  procedure  which 
will  undoubtedly  lead  to  even  greater  results.  , 

The  General  Order  concluded  with  this  statement : 

As  a  "  new  "  division  on  the  Vesle  the  28th  was  cited  in  orders 
from  General  Headquarters  for  its  excellent  service,  and  the  splendid 
work  just  completed  assures  it  a  place  in  tlie  very  front  ranks  of  the 
fighting  "  Red  "  Divisions.  With  such  a  position  to  maintain  it  is 
expected  that  every  man  will  devote  his  best  effort  to  the  work  at 
hand — to  hasten  that  final  victory  which  is  now  so  near. 

Nor  is  any  112tii  soldier  apt  to  forget  the  wording  of 
that  letter  of  commendation  addi-essed  to  the  Command- 
ing Officer  of  the  112th  Infantry,  from  General  Charles 


272  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Muir,  preceding  by  a  day  the  issuance  of  the  "  red  Key- 
stone "  order.  This  letter  is  reproduced  elsewhere  in 
the  volume. 

General  Pershing,  in  his  blanket  commendation  of 
the  divisions  participating  in  the  Meuse-Argomie  offen- 
sive, has  said : 

You  will  be  long  remembered  for  the  stubborn  persistence  of 
your  progress,  your  storming  of  obstinately  defended  machine  gun 
nests,  your  penetration,  yard  by  yard,  of  woods  and  ravines,  your 
heroic  resistance  in  the  face  of  counter-attacks  supported  by  power- 
ful artillery  fire.  *  *  *  Your  achievement,  which  is  scarcely  to  be 
equalled  in  American  history,  must  remain  a  source  of  proud  satis- 
faction to  the  troops  who  participated  in  the  last  campaign  of  the 
war.  The  American  people  will  remember  it  as  the  realization  of  the 
hitherto  potential  strength  of  the  American  contribution  toward  the 
cause  to  which  they  had  sworn  allegiance.  There  can  be  no  greater 
reward  for  a  soldier  or  for  a  soldier's  memory. 

And  to  the  112th  Infantry  no  higher  tribute  can  be 
paid  the  brave  men  who  died  and  were  wounded  in  the 
forward  rush  in  the  Argonne  than  to  their  organization 
was  assigned  the  post  of  honor  in  what  is  now  generally 
conceded  to  have  been  the  great  American  campaign  of 
the  World  War.  It  was  the  112th,  as  maps  and  statistics 
will  show,  that  was  assigned  the  hard  task  of  helping  clear 
a  country  which  hardened  French  officers,  old  in  the 
game,  had  declared  impregnable.  During  every  day  that 
it  was  in  the  line  it  played  the  game  with  such  fortitude 
that  years  cannot  erase  the  scenes  and  heroic  incidents 
which  the  mere  mention  of  the  Argonne  Forest  brings 
before  the  doughboy's  mind. 


CHAPTER  XV 

UNCROWNED  HEROES  OF  THE  ARGONNE  DRIVE 

The  Hitherto  Untold  Story  of  the  Runners — How 
a  Color  Sergeant  Played  the  War  Game  Through 
Those  Trying  Days — Carrying  "The  Message  to  Garcia" 
on  Meager  Rations  in  an  Untracked  Wilderness. 

For  their  splendid  work  in  and  about  Chatel  Chehery 
on  that  memorable  morning  of  October  7th,  Captain 
John  F.  Graff,  Jr.,  in  command  of  the  1st  Battalion,  and 
Captain  William  G.  Smith,  in  charge  of  the  3d,  were 
recommended  by  the  Brigade  Commander  for  promo- 
tion to  the  rank  of  Major. 

In  his  report  of  the  action  of  Chatel  Chehery,  Briga- 
dier General  Nolan,  of  the  55th  Brigade,  has  this  to  say 
regarding  the  commander  of  the  112th's  1st  Battalion: 

Captain  Graff,  of  the  112th  Regiment,  who  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  regiment  after  Colonel  Shannon  was  mortally 
wounded,  showed  himself  to  be  an  officer  of  exceptional  ability  in  the 
way  he  handled  the  regiment  on  October  7th  and  8th  in  this  battle, 
and  earned  promotion  to  the  next  higher  grade. 

General  Nolan's  report  also  includes  this  most  inter- 
esting paragraph : 

As  a  rule,  battalions  in  the  front  line  were  serv^ed  with  hot  food 
twice  daily ;  when  they  were  not,  it  was  not  due  to  lack  of  food  sup- 
plies, but  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  food  details  were  cut  off  by 
the  enemy's  heavy  shelling;  that  there  was  always  ample  ammuni- 
tion for  the  rifles  or  machine  guns,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
expenditure  of  ammunition  by  the  machine  guns  was  very  heavy;  that 
18  278 


274  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

the  artillery  during  the  period  covered  by  this  report  always  responded 
with  reasonable  promptness  to  requests  for  artillery  fire;  that  the 
wounded  were  cared  for  and  evacuated  promptly,  motor  ambulances 
coming  into  Apremont  and  later  into  Chatel  Chehery  over  the  main 
road  in  spite  of  its  being  constantly  heavily  shelled;  that  though  the 
signal  lines  were  constantly  cut  by  heavy  shelling,  the  efficiency  and 
devotion  to  duty  of  the  signal  men  were  such  that  repairs  were  always 
quickly  made  and  communication  promptly  restored. 

Consequentl)^,  it  was  no  surprise  that  two  members 
of  the  signal  platoon  should  be  especially  mentioned  in 
General  Orders  for  valorous  conduct  in  action.  The  first, 
under  date  of  October  25th,  read : 

Second  Lieutenant  Godfrey  D.  Smith,  commanding  signal  pla- 
toon, Hdqrs.  Co.,  112th  Infantry,  in  the  advance  in  the  Argonne 
Forest,  September  25th  to  October  9th,  under  most  trying  circum- 
stances and  severe  shelling,  established  and  maintained  telephone 
communication  between  the  advanced  regimental  P.  C.  and  the  rear 
area,  without  thought  for  his  personal  safety. 

The  second,  citing  an  enlisted  man,  under  date  of 
December  29th,  follows: 

Private  Carl  H.  Fraunf elter.  Headquarters  Company,  1 1 2th  In- 
fantry, in  the  advance  in  the  Argonne  Forest,  September  29th,  as  a 
pigeon  carrier,  rendered  himself  conspicuous  as  a  target  for  enemy 
fire  owing  to  the  pigeon  basket  he  carried,  but  with  unusual  devotion 
to  his  duties  and  under  most  trying  circumstances,  remained  constantly 
in  touch  with  his  Regimental  Commander.  By  his  conduct  in  that 
action  he  aroused  the  admiration  of  his  associates  and  stimulated  them 
to  greater  efforts. 

And  to  that  intrepid  trench  mortar  platoon,  which 
was  everlastingly  in  the  front,  playing  its  full  part,  the 


UNCROWNED  HEROES  OF  THE  ARGONNE       275 

Division  Commander,  on  October  25th,  paid  tribute  in 
the  following  paragraphs  of  General  Orders  21 : 

It  gives  me  pleasure  to  record^  in  General  Orders,  a  tribute  to  the 
valorous  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  Stokes  light  trench  mortar  platoon, 
112th  Infantry,  which  distinguished  itself  by  extraordinary  gallantry 
in  connection  with  military  operations  against  an  armed  enemy  of  the 
United  States  under  the  following  circumstances : 

During  the  operations  in  the  Argonne  Forest,  September  25th 
to  October  9th,  1918,  the  Stokes  light  trench  mortar  platoon  of  the 
112th  Infantry  carried  their  guns  and  ammunition  throughout  the 
advance,  constantly  keeping  up  with  the  assaulting  battalions,  this 
through  vast  stretches  of  barbed  wire  only  partially  cut  and  up  hills 
which  the  infantry  had  to  climb  on  hands  and  knees.  They  finished 
the  advance  and  came  out  without  losing  any  of  their  equipment. 
Their  work  was  exhaustive,  but  the  spirit  of  the  men  and  the  standard 
of  their  morale  were  exemplary. 

Then,  long  after  the  Argonne  battle  had  been  fought 
and  the  great  war  brought  to  a  close,  a  long-delayed  cita- 
tion appeared  in  Division  General  Orders  of  April  10, 
1919,  which  read: 

When  Sergeant  Peters,  112th  Infantry,  was  wounded  during  the 
operations  in  the  Argonne  Forest,  Color  Sergeant  Miles  C.  Shoup, 
Hq.  Co.,  112th  Infantry,  assumed  charge  of  the  runners  and  liaison 
men,  and  continued  so  until  October  9th.  During  all  of  this  time  he 
not  alone  well  directed  the  work  of  the  runners,  but  manv  times  under 
shellfire  and  the  object  of  enemy  snipers,  and  at  great  personal  dan- 
ger, he  personally  carried  messages  between  Battalion,  Regimental 
and  Brigade  Headquarters. 

Shoup  had  been  twice  recommended  for  the  D.  S.  C, 
but  along  with  the  other  citations  that  had  been  for- 
warded, the  112th  Infantry  was  "  out  of  luck."     Yet 


276  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Shoup's  work  was  only  one  of  the  many  instances  of 
bravery  under  fire  that  went  unnoticed  by  Headquarters 
far  to  the  rear,  but  whose  very  act  was  an  inspu-ation  to 
the  men  in  the  hne. 

In  fact,  in  the  galaxy  of  brilliant  achievements  on  the 
fighting  front  in  France,  none  have  been  worthy  of  such 
honorable  mention  and  yet,  curiously  enough,  few  have 
been  so  much  forgotten  in  the  official  records  as  the  role 
played  by  those  soldiers  who  served  as  **  runners." 

Officers  like  to  speak  of  the  "  runner  "  system  as 
"  haison,"  borrowing  the  term  from  the  French.  Liaison 
is  the  maintenance  of  communication,  and  the  use  of  run- 
ners between  units  is  only  one  of  the  means  of  keeping  in 
touch  with  other  battalions  or  companies  in  the  attack. 
There  are  company  runners,  who  maintain  communica- 
tion between  their  units  and  battalion  headquarters ;  and 
then  there  are  battalion  and  regimental  runners,  each 
keeping  in  touch  with  the  next  higher  unit,  carrying  mes- 
sages that  may  hold  the  fate  of  the  entire  regiment  in  its 
few  plainly  written  words. 

It  is  the  runner  who  goes  through  the  hail  of  machine 
gun  bullets,  who  must  push  his  way  through  the  darkness 
and  the  midergrowth ;  it  is  the  runner,  if  he  is  an  efficient 
one,  who  must  carry  "  the  message  to  Garcia," — in  other 
words,  no  matter  how  warm  the  battle,  how  heavy  the  fire, 
whether  the  ground  is  swampy,  covered  with  imderbrush 
or  there  is  impassable  undergrowth  infested  with  Hun 
machine  gunners,  the  runner  must  get  through. 

And  the  Argonne  battle,  in  which  the  112th  Infantry 


UNCROWNED  HEROES  OF  THE  ARGONNE      277 

played  such  a  brilliant  part,  demonstrated  better  than 
any  other  campaign  that  there  were  brave  men  in  the  out- 
fit. Little  fellows  who,  perhaps,  could  have  been 
trimmed  in  a  hand-to-hand  fight  with  the  Hun,  carried 
messages  over  areas  and  tlu'ough  woods  swept  by  inten- 
sive shellfire ;  fought  their  way  through  undergi'owth  and 
mud  in  the  pitch-blackness  of  an  Ai'gonne  night,  carry- 
ing the  word  to  attack  at  the  designated  hour.  Mere  per- 
siflage cannot  pay  tribute  to  the  brave  boys  and  the  brave 
hearts — these  runners  whose  names  are  all  but  forgotten 
in  the  compilation  of  a  record  of  what  the  regiment  has 
done  as  a  unit. 

Every  day  that  the  Argonne  battle  continued,  from 
the  memorable  jump-off  on  the  morning  of  September 
26th,  to  the  time  that  the  112th  was  relieved  on  October 
9th,  produced  not  only  one  but  a  score  of  heroes.  Now 
and  then  the  story  of  some  brave  act  filtered  back  to  the 
P.  C.'s  in  the  rear,  but  the  song  of  the  uncrowned  heroes 
of  the  Argonne — the  message-carriers  of  the  112th — has 
remained  unsmig  until  now. 

And  in  this  almost- forgotten  record  of  real  heroism 
under  fire  there  looms  one  name — that  of  Color  Sergeant 
Shoup,  of  Oil  City;  it  was  INIiles  Shoup  and  his  valiant 
crew  of  old  "  standby  runners  "  that  succeeded  in  keep- 
ing in  touch  with  every  unit  of  the  regiment  while  Hun 
machine  gunners  tried  vigorously,  yet  in  vain,  to  break 
through  and  separate  one  battalion  from  another,  and 
company  from  company. 

Day  after  day  it  was  a  dogged,  persistent  pushing 


278  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

forward ;  one  attack  after  another  up  the  slopes  of  Chene 
Tondii,  until  it  was  finally  dominated.  For  five  con- 
secutive days,  in  every  charge,  the  runners  and  the  regi- 
mental intelligence  section,  instead  of  taking  their  accus- 
tomed place  in  the  charge,  went  over  the  top  with  Lieut.- 
Colonel  Jolm  P.  Bubb,  then  in  command  of  the  regiment 
• — not  behind  the  attacking  battalions,  but  in  the  very 
forefront. 

During  the  second  night  of  the  Ai-gonne  battle,  Chau- 
chat  and  rifle  ammunition  became  exhausted;  it  was 
Bobby  Owens,  of  Harrisburg,  who  hustled  back  to  the 
supply  train,  finding  it  by  luck,  and  then,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  other  runners,  rushing  it  to  the  front.  Owens 
guided  Sergeant  Harry  Strayer's  platoon,  consisting  at 
that  time  of  only  eight  men,  tlu*ough  three  kilometers  of 
woodland  to  Petite  Boureuilles,  and  returned  safely  in 
time  to  take  up  the  hike  to  the  valley  south  of  Montblain- 
ville.  This  was  at  the  time  that  the  regiment  was  moving 
into  the  Depot  Ravine — an  occasion  when  the  Germans' 
sweeping  fire  was  getting  in  its  first  deadly  work. 

Night  after  night,  and  during  the  hom's  of  daylight, 
the  runners  played  their  role  to  perfection;  hiking 
through  the  mud  and  the  rain,  sleeping  against  trees  from 
whose  branches  the  rain  dripped,  covering  the  country 
at  all  hours,  there  was  no  sleep  or  real  rest  for  the  men 
who  wore  the  red  band  on  the  arm.  Boys  they  might 
have  been  when  the  attack  started ;  under  fire  they  were 
the  most  courageous  of  men. 

"  But  that  doesn't  mean  that  we  weren't  scared," 


UNCROWNED  HEROES  OF  THE  ARGONNE   279 

Charles  Wolfe,  of  York,  declared.  "  I  can  remember 
how  I  felt  when  Colonel  Bubb  called  me  one  morning. 
'  Wolfe,'  he  said,  '  find  the  2d  Battalion;  I  don't  know 
where  it  is,  but  I  think  it  is  here ' — and  he  pointed  to  a 
map.  *  It's  the  only  map  I  have,  and  don't  you  lose  it.' 
So  another  runner  and  I  started  on  the  hunt  for  the  2d. 
We  were  down  in  the  ravine  south  of  Chene  Tondu  then; 
we  pushed  westward  and  ran  into  the  77th  Division,  then 
we  passed  them  and  the  first  we  knew — whee-e-e-e,  bang; 
whee-e-e-e,  bang!  The  Huns  were  sniping  at  us.  We 
lay  down  and  crawled  along;  my  heart  was  jumping, 
pounding  and  throbbing  as  never  before.  Then  we  stum- 
bled on  to  a  couple  of  dead  Germans.  Somehow,  I  don't 
know  how  we  did  it,  we  kept  on  crawling,  and  reaching  a 
slope  again,  ran  at  top  speed,  bullets  whistling  after  us 
all  the  way.  Here  we  had  been  out  in  front  of  the  Ger- 
mans' line,  and  the  77th,  as  we  found  out,  was  making 
ready  to  attack.  We  had  been  gone  for  several  hours, 
and  we  never  did  find  the  2d  Battalion  that  day;  but  Tuck 
was  with  us,  and  they  were  with  the  outfit  in  the  charges 
the  next  morning." 

By  the  fifth  day  of  the  battle,  which  was  the  30th,  the 
German  machine  gunners  and  shrapnel  were  taking  their 
toll.  Sergeant  Martin  L.  Peters,  of  York,  who  until  that 
time  had  charge  of  the  i-unners,  under  Color  Sergeant 
Shoup's  general  direction,  was  wounded.  A  machine  gim 
bullet  blew  off  the  tliumb  of  his  right  hand,  and  he  fell 
hit  in  the  thiffh  as  well.  Stewart  Bro^vii,  Harvev  IVI. 
Kennedy  and  Howard  T.  Kelly,  all  three  of  wliom  liad 


280  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

done  good  work  under  heavy  fire  as  efficient  runners, 
were  wounded,  when  German  snipers'  bullets  caught 
them  in  a  trench  as  one  of  the  charges  on  Chene  Tondu 
was  in  progress.  Gradually,  as  the  fighting  days  wore 
on,  the  personnel  of  the  runners  changed. 

With  Peters  out  of  the  running,  and  Stewart  Brown 
shot  twice  in  the  foot  and  thigh  while  following  Colonel 
Bubb,  other  men  took  their  places.  The  fighting  became 
more  strenuous  day  to  day;  as  October  arrived  it  had 
developed  into  Indian  scrapping  and  ferreting  out  of 
bothersome  machine  gun  nests,  and  this  was  always  at 
a  cost.  It  was  during  this  time  that  Sergeant  Shoup 
proved  his  mettle. 

On  October  4th  John  INIumma,  of  Harrisburg,  made 
his  way  back  to  the  kitchens  and  guided  the  ration  wagons 
of  the  whole  regiment  to  a  location  near  the  front.  This 
was  the  first  successful  attempt  to  get  food  to  the  men; 
all  other  attempts  had  fallen  short.  When  rations  did 
arrive,  the  regiment  had  forged  ahead,  and,  as  on  previ- 
ous occasions,  the  men  were  as  good  as  lost  from  the 
wagons  which  carried  the  subsistence.  Mumma's  trip 
was  made  under  heavy  shellfire. 

Then  when  the  kitchens  were  in  position  north  of 
Montblainville,  one  night  the  Germans  put  over  a  heavy 
barrage  that  swept  through  the  area  and  left  destruction 
in  its  trail ;  cooks  and  kitchen  police,  supposed  to  have  the 
"  safe  "  jobs  of  the  Anny,  were  caught,  and  a  number 
were  sent  to  hospitals  in  the  rear,  badly  maimed.  Others 
were  killed  outright.    Supply  Sergeant  George  H.  Al- 


UNCROWNED  HEROES  OF  THE  ARGONNE       281 

bright,  of  Harrisburg,  who  was  with  the  Headquarters 
Company,  declared  that  the  scene  enacted  at  the  kitchens 
when  the  German  shells  dropped  was  a  horrible  one; 
there  was  hardly  enough  left  of  some  men  to  bury,  and  in 
the  gathering  darkness  the  cries  of  the  wounded  added 
ghastliness  and  horror  to  it  all. 

Rations  figured  in  the  war  game  a  few  days  later,  on 
October  7th,  when  Chatel  Chehery  was  taken  in  the  brave 
charge  by  the  1st  and  3d  Battalions,  led  by  the  runners 
and  Regimental  Headquarters  staff.  After  the  taking 
of  the  town  and  Hill  244,  mess  wagons  were  stopped  as 
they  tried  to  get  to  the  men  with  food ;  the  Huns  put  over 
a  heavy  barrage,  and  so  the  mess  was  dropped  along  the 
road  about  a  thousand  j^ards  south  of  the  to^vn.  Runners 
and  members  of  the  intelligence  section,  of  which  Ser- 
geants John  A.  Lindner  and  Philip  T.  Meredith  had 
charge,  took  advantage  of  this  rare  treat;  but  for  a  time 
a  lone  German  sniper  made  the  situation  dangerous. 

One  man  was  shot  in  the  thigh,  but  instead  of  'dis- 
persing and  running  to  cover,  the  fighting  doughboys 
merely  crawled  down  behind  the  row  of  marmite  cans  and 
appeared  tw^o  minutes  later  when  two  riflemen  picked  off 
the  Hun.  Then  no  more  bullets  interrupted  the  pro- 
ceedings, though  scores  of  Hun  shells  kept  wheezing  and 
whistling  overhead,  trying  to  get  the  range  of  the 
road  and  inflict  casualties.  In  this,  they  were  partially 
successful. 

Significant,  too,  is  the  fact  that  the  runners  and  in- 
telligence men  were  in  the  lead  as  Captain  Graff"s  bat- 


282  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

talion  swung  into  Chatel  Chehery,  clearing  the  way  of 
Huns,  while  Captain  Smith's  fighting  3d  Battalion  dom- 
inated Hill  244. 

Fellows  like  Walter  C.  Plasterer,  of  Shippensburg ; 
Charles  Perry,  of  Oil  City;  Arthur  Speese,  of  Harris- 
burg  ;  Joseph  Wherrity,  of  ^lahanoy  City ;  Andrew  Pas- 
senger, of  Warren;  Charles  E.  Wolfe,  of  York;  Thomas 
Price,  of  Altoona;  Robei-t  Owens,  of  Harrisburg;  Ralph 
Laisure,  of  Monroe,  Ind.,  were  a  few  of  those  who  were 
right  on  the  job  all  through  the  Argonne  push.  But  this 
list  is  only  partial,  for  on  many  other  occasions  during 
the  Argonne  push  boys  of  the  type  of  Stanley  Rockley, 
of  Pittsburgh;  Rowe  B.  Myers,  of  Kirklin,  Ind.;  Reese 
Halsey,  of  Philadelphia;  Howard  Stewart,  of  Oil  City; 
Sidney  Zullinger,  of  Shippensbm'g ;  Ray  Neideffer,  of 
Tunnelton,  111.;  Joseph  McGuckin  and  David  Baum- 
gardner,  both  of  Pittsburgh;  George  Silar,  of  York; 
Eugene  Young,  of  Vincennes,  Ind. ;  George  Wallace,  of 
Evansville,  Ind. ;  and  many  others  whose  names,  but  not 
whose  deeds,  have  been  forgotten,  helped  achieve  for  the 
*'  runners  "  an  enviable  reputation  as  doughboys  who 
knew  no  fear. 

Histories  and  the  newspapers  may  in  days  to  come 
give  a  great  deal  of  credit  to  the  officers  and  men  of  the 
regiment  for  their  share  in  the  Argonne  push ;  too  much 
cannot  be  said  of  the  riflemen  and  their  accurate  aim,  and 
this  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  many  replacements  who  took 
part  in  the  drive  had  been  overseas  less  than  three  weeks 
and  in  the  service  less  than  two  months;  but  when  the 


UNCROWNED  HEROES  OF  THE  ARGONNE       283 

final  history  is  written,  here's  hoping  they  won't  forget 
the  little  fellows  who  dodged  through  shellfire  and  ma- 
chine gun  hail,  through  undergrowth  and  the  impene- 
trable blackness  of  the  forest  night — those  fellows  with 
the  red  bands  on  their  anns. 

All  honor  to  tliose  boys  who  carried  "  the  message  to 
Garcia."  By  their  acts  and  untiring  attention  to  duty 
they  kept  the  attacking  units  together,  maintained  com- 
mmiication  when  it  seemed  that  it  was  not  a  battle  of 
forces  systematically  subduing  the  Hun,  but  rather  a 
ihundi-ed  battling  groups  of  riflemen,  each  group  rout- 
ing out  one  machine  gun  nest  and  pushing  forward  to 
another. 

They  endm-ed  all  the  hardships,  they  fought  the  same 
battle,  they  made  the  same  record  and  helped  to  a  great 
extent  to  wi-ite  the  achievements  of  the  112th  Infantry  in 
the  Argonne  into  one  of  the  brightest  chapters  of  the 
American  Army's  activity  in  the  war  zone  of  France. 

Uncrowned  heroes  of  the  Argonne  though  you  may 
be  now — your  reward  will  grow  as  the  years  pass  by  and 
the  whole  story  is  unfolded. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

PUTTING  LIFE  INTO  A  QUIET  SECTOR 

Brief  Respite  in  the  Commercy  District — 
Rumors  of  the  Coming  German  Crash — Patrol 
Engagements  on  the  Thiaucourt  Front,  Capture 
of  Many  Huns  and  the  Winning  of  More  Com- 
mendations— War's  Most  Eventful  Day,  Its  Last. 

With  the  28th  Division's  chapter  in  the  Ai*gonne 
drive  having  been  brought  to  a  close  on  October  9th,  vs^hen 
the  82d  Division  took  over  the  sector  in  the  front  line, 
those  tired  doughboys  who  had  marched  southward  from 
the  line  on  that  day  of  relief  slept  as  they  seldom  had 
before  upon  reaching  Montblainville.  For  they  knew 
that  on  the  following  morning  they  would  be  on  the 
march  to  "  somewhere  else  in  France." 

In  a  hot  blistering  sun,  the  10th  found  the  entire  out- 
fit on  the  march  from  Montblainville  to  Neuvilly,  then 
turning  eastward  to  the  railhead  at  Aubreville  and  climb- 
ing the  hill  at  Parois,  there  to  embus  between  4  and  6 
o'clock  that  afternoon  for  another  destination. 

As  part  of  the  colmiin  rested  for  two  hours  and  had 
breakfast  at  Neuvilly  during  the  forenoon,  men  of  the 
rear  echelon  staff  and  the  band  witnessed  the  grewsome 
sight  of  an  American  artilleryman  ground  to  death  be- 
neath his  own  caisson  on  the  bridge  spanning  the  Aire. 
Tins  was  the  grim  tragedy  of  war;  playing  the  game  and 


PUTTING  LIPE  INTO  A  QUIET  SECTOR         285 

braving  all  the  dangers  of  the  line,  only  to  be  killed  when 
the  relief  had  come. 

A  whirlwind  trip  overnight,  totaling  100  miles,  in 
French  trucks,  took  the  regiment  from  Parois  to  the 
Commercy  district,  north  of  Toul.  The  trucks  which 
carried  the  Headquarters  Company  dumped  off  the  pas- 
sengers, tired,  sleepy,  stiff  and  cold,  at  6  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  11th  at  Comieville. 

Iron  rations  were  gone,  and  the  outlook  for  something 
to  eat  was  poor.  For  six  hours  men  huddled  around  bon- 
fires hastily  made;  the  ground  w^as  damp  and  the  air  was 
cool;  and  then  word  came  for  a  hike  of  14  kilos  into 
Vignot,  just  a  mile  outside  of  the  big  city  of  Commercy. 
The  word  "  big  "  can  be  used,  because  it  was  the  largest 
town  we  had  been  billeted  near  during  all  our  travels  in 
France.  "  Beaucoup  "  small  stores  did  a  thriving  busi- 
ness in  Vignot  that  night— grapes,  cheese,  nuts  and 
canned  goods  went  at  high  prices ;  for,  as  on  every  other 
move,  the  wagon  train  was  just  getting  under  way,  and 
we  had  to  look  out  for  our  own  rations. 

Fellows  who  had  money  in  their  pockets  went  to 
homes  in  the  village,  and  ordered  French-fried  potatoes, 
steak  and  eggs  where  they  could  be  obtained ;  but  the  ones 
who  got  such  treats  were  lucky  during  the  first  few  days, 
because  the  demand  was  great.  Others  lived  on  con- 
densed milk,  hardtack  and  whatever  thev  could  buv  at  the 
stores,  and  the  assortment  was  meager. 

The  location  of  the  units  of  the  regiment  at  that  time 
was:  Companies  A  and  B,  Brossey  en  WoevTc;  Com- 


286  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

panics  C  and  D,  at  Raulecoiirt ;  Company  E,  at  Fremere- 
ville;  Company  F,  at  Gironville;  the  other  soldiers  of  the 
regiment  were  billeted  in  Vignot,  where  Regimental 
Headquarters  was  located. 

Incidentally,  there  were  many  beds  available  in  the 
town,  at  a  franc  to  two  francs  a  night — and  so  Bobby 
Owens  and  I  slept  in  a  real  bed  that  night  and  several  to 
follow,  for  the  first  time  since  we  arrived  in  France. 

It  was  during  this  period  that  the  regiment  was  in  the 
predicament  of  having  two  Colonels  on  the  job  in  the 
same  town.  Colonel  Rickards  had  left  the  hospital  the 
night  the  outfit  moved  to  the  Commercy  region,  traveling 
125  miles  via  Bar-le-Duc  to  get  to  Vignot.  Colonel  Blan- 
ton  Winship,  who  had  been  placed  in  charge  of  the  regi- 
ment shortly  before  the  relief  from  the  Argonne,  directed 
affairs,  and  continued  to  have  charge  until  Sunday,  Oc- 
tober 12th;  at  that  time  he  was  relieved  and  assigned  to 
the  command  of  the  110th  Infantry  in  the  55th  Brigade, 
and  Colonel  Rickards  was  given  a  hearty  welcome  to  his 
old  post  as  director  of  destinies  of  the  old  112th. 

The  13th  was  a  great  old  day.  The  band  gave  a  con- 
cert for  the  first  in  a  long  time ;  then  the  papers  arrived 
shortly  afterward,  stating  that  Germany  had  accepted 
Wilson's  peace  terms,  and  was  willing  to  evacuate  cap- 
tured territory.  Fellows,  jubilant  over  the  situation,  ran 
down  the  street  slapping  one  another  on  the  back,  and 
ciying  out,  "  The  war's  over!  " 

The  feeling  that  the  war  was  almost  ended  went  far 
to  put  the  doughboys  in  great  spirits  after  such  a  strenu- 


PUTTING  LIFE  INTO  A  QUIET  SECTOR  :287 

ous  campaign  as  the  Argorme,  but  Colonel  Rickards, 
fearing  that  the  morale  of  the  regiment  was  to  suffer  if 
this  premature  enthusiasm  was  to  become  too  wide- 
spread, the  following  day  issued  an  order  in  which  he  said : 

The  news  of  the  past  few  days,  while  most  gratifying,  does  not 
terminate  the  war,  and  we  must  not  permit  it  to  turn  our  attention 
from  further  perfecting  our  organization  for  the  tasks  set  for  the 
A.  E.  F. — to  bring  the  Hxm  and  his  colleagues  to  an  unconditional 
surrender,  which  cannot  be  accomplished  until  the  Commanding 
Officer  of  all  the  Central  Powers  at  war  has  by  a  recognized  act  of 
surrender  laid  down  his  arms  and  authority  to  the  Commanding 
Officer  of  all  the  Allied  Powers.  While  it  is  believed  that  present 
steps  will  lead  to  such  a  conclusion,  we  must  not  relax  our  efforts 
and  our  lasting  vigilance. 

United  States  troops  have  played  a  most  important  part  in  this 
war,  and  no  unit  has  done  more  creditable  work  than  the  28th  (Key- 
stone) Division.  The  112th  Infantry  has  carried  its  part  at  all 
times  with  credit,  and  the  28th  Division  must  be  a  source  of  pride  to 
the  people  of  the  old  Keystone  Commonwealth.  It  has  been  under 
shellfire  constantly  from  the  4th  day  of  July  to  the  10th  day  of 
October — a  record,  we  believe,  unsurpassed  by  any  other  division. 

a 

With  the  large  number  of  replacements  that  had 
come  to  the  regiment  dm-ing  those  fii'st  few  days  in 
Vignot  and  the  area  adjoining,  all  companies  were  mus- 
tered on  Monday,  the  14th,  and  everytliing  put  in  readi- 
ness for  training  on  the  morrow.  It  was  nmiored  the 
II 2th  would  be  in  the  area  for  several  weeks;  but  an- 
other twenty-four  hours  changed  the  whole  complexion 
of  the  situation.  The  next  afternoon  orders  came  to  be 
prepared  to  move  at  short  notice ;  then,  in  a  drizzling  rain 
and  on  one  of  the  darkest  nights  we  had  had,  the  entire 


288  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

outfit  pulled  out  for  the  Thiaucoui-t-Paimes  sector  at  6 
o'clock,  marching  part  way  and  traveling  the  remainder 
of  the  distance  by  trucks.  The  cookers  had  arrived  in 
time  to  give  the  men  the  fii'st  waim  meal  they  had  had 
since  the  relief  on  October  9th,  and  now  the  men  were 
off  for  up  the  line  once  more. 

Then,  as  the  1st  Battahon  took  up  the  position  in  the 
new  sector,  it  was  found  that  a  relief  of  the  147th  In- 
fantry, or  Ohio  National  Guard  troops,  was  being  ef- 
fected. This  was  completed  at  1.20  the  afternoon  of  the 
16th.  The  new  positions  held  by  the  regimental  units  in 
the  new  sector,  or  in  the  Woevi'e  region,  as  the  commu- 
niques called  it,  included:  Regimental  Headquarters, 
shack  in  woods  of  Beney ;  Machine  Gun  Company,  at  St. 
Benoit;  Headquarters  Company  and  Supply  Company, 
at  Pannes;  1st  Battalion,  in  the  right  subsector,  Bois  de 
Dampvitoux  and  Xammes ;  Companies  E  and  F,  holding 
the  front  line  in  the  Dampvitoux  woods,  and  Companies 
G  and  H  forming  the  Brigade  reserve;  with  the  3d 
Battalion  in  the  left  subsector  (Companies  I  and  K  in 
the  front  hne,  L  and  M  in  support) . 

Thus  was  the  scene  set  for  days  of  vigorous  patrol- 
ling, capture  of  German  prisoners,  reconnaissances  on  a 
new  scale;  features  that  were  to  keep  our  boys  on  the 
jump  day  and  night.  At  times  there  were  as  many  as 
five  patrol  parties  a  day,  varying  in  size  from  6  to  250 
men  or  more. 

On  Friday,  October  18th,  the  2d  Battalion  sent  out 
the  first  patrol,  exploring  Marunbois  Farm ;  it  succeeded 


PUTTING  LIFE  INTO  A  QUIET  SECTOR  289 

in  getting  close  enough  to  the  German  trenches  to  hear 
the  occupants  talking.  Then  one-pounders  were  brought 
up  and  put  in  place  to  rout  the  enemy  out  of  position. 
Company  K  maneuvered  about,  taking  up  a  position  to 
the  left  of  this  battalion  along  the  road  leading  to  Hau- 
mont  (then  German-held) ,  and  moved  back  at  daybreak. 
Of  course,  most  of  the  patrol  work  and  dashes  into  the 
enemy's  line  for  prisoners,  information  and  other  details 
desired  by  Division  and  Corps  Headquarters  took  place 
at  night,  or  during  the  early  morning. 

There  was  little  artillery  activity  on  the  19th,  but  for 
every  shell  the  Germans  sent  over  the  Americans  sent 
back  about  half  a  dozen.  It  was  then  clearly  established 
and  self-evident  to  us  that  we  were  occupying  what  was 
formerly  German-held  territory — along  the  line  estab- 
lished by  the  break-off  in  the  St.  Mihiel  salient  Septem- 
ber 14th — for  the  water  tank  near  the  broad-gauge  rail- 
road passing  Regimental  Headquarters,  the  buildings 
and  other  places  about  the  woods  all  bore  German  marks 
and  signs. 

German  helmets,  discarded  equipment  and  parapher- 
nalia of  all  kinds  were  stre^vTi  about  the  woods.  The  men 
lived  in  dugouts  or  in  old  German  bunkhouses ;  conditions 
were  crowded  and  not  of  the  best.  As  for  myself,  I  slept 
in  what  had  been  a  chicken  coop,  perforated  with  a  hun- 
dred machine-gun  holes  and  as  leaky  as  a  sieve  in  the 
li^^htest  rain.  The  boys  who  were  billeted  in  the  town  of 
Pamies  and  elsewhere  were  having  things  all  their  own 

19 


290  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

way ;  good  places  to  sleep,  three  squares  a  day,  while  we 
got  along  with  two  meals  that  were  houi's  apart. 

The  21st  and  22d  saw  patrolling  operations  going  on 
successfully  and  on  a  large  scale.  On  Monday  a  Ger- 
man patrol  operating  in  front  of  the  3d  Battalion  line 
was  sm'prised.  Of  four  men,  two  were  killed,  one  cap- 
tured and  one  escaped.  These  men,  brought  to  Head- 
quarters for  examination,  said  they  belonged  to  the  224th 
Division.  Then,  on  Tuesday,  which  was  the  22d,  a  suc- 
cessful raid  was  carried  out  by  the  2d  Battalion,  Com- 
panies E  and  F,  between  1.30  and  2.30  in  the  morning. 
Twenty-seven  Germans  were  caught  in  the  net  that  had 
been  spread  for  them ;  we  didn't  lose  a  man.  Our  only 
losses  dm'ing  those  two  days  were  one  man  killed  and 
another  wounded  by  aero  bombs  from  Hun  machines  and 
a  tliird  man  wounded  by  enemy  shellfire. 

The  official  record  for  those  days,  while  seeming  to 
indicate  little  beyond  the  usual  routine,  formed  an  inter- 
esting chapter.     It  ran  something  like  this: 

October  22d — From  1.30  to  2.30  a.m.  2d  Battalion  sent  out  raid- 
ing parties.  Lieutenant  Riggs  and  44  men  raided  Bois  Dommartin 
and  found  no  Huns.  Party  2,  Lieutenant  Shatzer  commandingi,  raided 
aviation  park  and  got  27  prisoners. 

October  23d — Intermittent  artillerying.  Two  Germans  of  27th 
Pioneer  Battalion,  224th  Division,  voluntarily  surrendered  themselves 
at  9  P-M.  to  an  outpost  of  Company  F ;  interviewed  at  Headquarters, 
soldiers  said  they  belonged  to  224th  Division. 

October  24th — Two  officers  and  25  men  from  3d  Battalion  pro- 
ceeded to  Haumont  to  establish  a  strongpoint.  Detachment  entered 
the  town  and  occupied  it  without  opposition — capturing  a  German 


PUTTING  LIFE  INTO  A  QUIET  SECTOR         291 

town  without  meeting  a  German.     The  town  and  all  buildings  were 
thoroughly  searched  and  no  Huns  were  found. 

October  25th — Three  patrols  from  3d  Battalion  proceeded  to 
Bois  Bonseil  at  11  p.m.  for  purj^ose  of  ascertaining  if  woods  were 
held  in  force.  Wire  encountered,  and  belief  expressed  woods  are 
strongly  held. 

October   26th — Intermittent  shellfire   near   Regimental   P.    C. 
Day  quiet. 

October  27th — Three  Germans  taken  in  raid  made  by  2d  Bat- 
talion party  consisting  of  Second  Lieutenant  William  Siegrist,  Jr., 
and  Second  Lieutenant  Humbert  L.  Aull,  12  non-coms  and  65  men. 
Bois  Dommartin  raided.  Enemy  planes  continued  active  during 
afternoon.     Raid  took  place  at  6  p.m. 

So  the  chapter  of  the  doings  in  No  INIan's  Land  and 
in  the  barbed  wire  entanglements  of  the  woods  ran,  from 
day  to  day.  But  the  Gennans  put  one  over  on  the  112th 
boys  early  on  the  evening  of  October  29th.  That  morn- 
ing the  Huns  had  surprised  the  Machine  Gun  Company 
men  then  forming  the  outpost  in  Haumont ;  one  boy  was 
killed,  several  wounded  and  tliree  captured.  At  6.30  that 
night  the  Germans  put  over  a  heavy  baiTage  and  Hau- 
mont was  abandoned. 

With  one  or  two  exceptions,  there  were  few  large 
encounters  in  the  area  held  by  the  112th  on  the  Thiau- 
court  front,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  north  of  Pannes. 
There  was  the  customary  bombing  by  Hun  planes — and, 
luckily,  most  of  their  missiles  dropped  in  "  dead  "  ter- 
ritory. Tliis  made  impossible  any  lights  at  night;  and 
even  the  fires  had  to  be  put  out  early  for  fear  that  spai-ks 
from  the  stovepipe  might  disclose  the  location  of  billets 
or  the  regimental  and  battalion  P.  C.'s.    Dugouts  there 


292  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

were  a-plenty,  but  those  were  damp  and  when  the  men 
got  a  chance  to  sleep  in  barracks,  even  though  conditions 
were  crowded  and  cooties  were  on  a  rampage,  they  chose 
the  latter  course. 

Fellows  who  had  never  suffered  from  cooties  befoi*e 
began  "  reading  their  shirt "  when  time  permitted;  flies 
were  the  bothersome  pests  at  Fismes  and  Fismette,  here 
it  was  the  mud  and  the  cooties. 

How  welcome  the  sunlight  looked  to  us  those  days! 
Very  little  of  it  penetrated  through  the  trees  and  dense 
gro^i:h,  even  when  a  warm  day  did  arrive,  and  so  the 
ground  was  damp  most  of  the  time.  At  nights  there  was 
the  customary  fog  and  moisture.  There  was  little  amuse- 
ment for  the  men;  and  when  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Sal- 
vation Army,  the  Red  Cross  or  the  K.  of  C.  sent  up  choco- 
late, cakes,  tobacco  and  papers  for  the  boj^s,  there  was  a 
regular  inning  of  joy.  American-printed  Paris  papers 
— the  New  York  Herald  and  the  Daily  Mail — arrived 
a  day  late;  and  there  was  alwa5^s  an  anxious  crowd  on 
hand  to  get  the  first  batch  and  rush  it  out  to  the  boys  in 
the  line  or  in  the  dugouts. 

Then,  after  things  settled  down  into  more  or  less  of 
a  routine,  the  War  Work  agencies  saw  to  it  that  we  were 
kept  stocked  in  Quaker  Oats,  chocolate  and  whatever 
else  was  on  hand  and  for  sale  at  that  particular  time. 

The  men  entered  into  the  patrol  work  with  spirit,  and, 
instead  of  spending  the  days  in  listless  inactivity,  put  life 
into  a  "  dead  "  area  and  kept  things  warm  for  the  Ger- 
mans.   In  other  words,  they  were  playing  the  game  in 


PUTTING  LIFE  INTO  A  QUIET  SECTOR         «98 

old-time  fashion,  as  American  doughboys  had  done  ever 
since  they  landed  in  France ;  a  vigorous  offensive  was  al- 
ways under  way,  and  while  at  this  tune  it  was  confined 
merely  to  patrol  engagements  and  "  feelmg  out  "  parties, 
it  none  the  less  reflected  credit  on  the  officers  and  men 
of  the  entire  regiment. 

On  the  night  of  October  28th  two  raiding  parties 
made  a  successful  reconnaissance  of  the  Bois  de  Dom- 
martin,  but  our  barrage  fell  short  and  this  precluded  a 
thorough  search  of  the  woods.  A  party  of  Germans 
were  encountered,  however,  and  gave  themselves  up  with- 
out resistance. 

Among  them  was  one  who  said  liis  name  was  Emil 
Born,  and  his  birthplace  Mannlieim,  Germany.  For 
eleven  years  he  conducted  a  glove  factory  in  Paris, 
France ;  when  the  war  broke  out  he  was  with  his  wife  in 
the  Black  Forest,  she  being  ui  poor  health.  And  so,  in 
the  course  of  events.  Born,  who  is  a  nephew  of  the  mil- 
lionaire M.  Born,  of  M.  Born  and  Company,  Chicago 
clothiers,  was  taken  into  the  German  anny  in  November, 
1914,  fought  in  eleven  different  regiments  on  several 
different  fronts,  but  mostly  in  Russia.  A  few  weeks  be- 
fore he  had  been  sent  to  tliis  sector,  and  then : 

Well,  the  night  came  when  at  6.23  our  boys  went  over 
the  top  and  into  the  German  line.  They  rushed  the  posi- 
tion where  Bom  and  his  machine  crew  had  been.  The 
crew  deserted  Born,  leaving  him  and  a  young  fellow  of 
strapping  size  behind. 

"  I  told  them  to  stay  with  me,"  he  said  in  sm-prisingly 


294  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

good  English,  explaining  that  he  had  spent  eight  months 
in  England  and  during  that  time  had  acquired  some 
knowledge  of  the  English  language.  "  But  the  shells — 
well,  they  came  so  fast  that  they  bowled  us  over;  my  men 
got  scared  and  ran." 

For  fully  two  hours  he  kept  the  little  office  force  in 
paroxysms  of  laughter  at  his  description  of  how  things 
were  going  behind  the  German  lines;  how  he  had  pro- 
tested against  fighting  France  because  his  wife  had  been 
a  French  woman,  and  how,  when  these  protests  proved 
futile,  he  determined  to  come  over  and  give  himself  up 
to  the  enemy  at  the  fh^st  opportunity. 

"  To-night  the  chance  came.  I  was  prepared,"  and 
he  exhibited  an  American  razor  he  had  carried  for  eleven 
years,  a  bundle  of  sugar,  soap  and  towel  and  toilet  acces- 
sories. He  was  prepared — of  that  there  was  no  doubt; 
then  he  threw  out  a  bunch  of  German  coins,  and  officers 
and  men  shared  in  them  for  gratification  of  their  own 
curiosity.  He  told  how  the  German  soldiers  had  long 
since  recognized  that  the  country  was  on  its  last  legs  so 
far  as  the  war  was  concerned;  that  many  Germans 
wanted  to  give  themselves  up  but  lacked  only  the  oppor- 
tunity— and  now  his  opportunity  had  come  to  get  away 
— ^and  so  he  went.  It  was  either  a  matter  of  fighting  to 
his  death  or  giving  himself  up,  and  under  the  circum- 
stances he  gave  himself  up — ^^and  he  added  that  he  hadn't 
any  desire  to  fight  the  energetic  Americans  anyhow. 

An  hour  and  a  half  passed,  and  then  of  all  surprises — 


PUTTING  LIFE  INTO  A  QUIET  SECTOR  295 

in  came  three  of  the  Unteroffizier's  crew,  three  of  the 
eight  men  that  had  fled  when  the  American  shells  came 
over;  and  they  were  about  the  most  delighted  men  you 
ever  saw !  They  hugged  each  other  and  greeted  each  other 
in  German — and  then  the  word  resounded : 

"  Guards,  get  these  men  into  line!  " 

So  the  eleven  Huns  passed  out,  smoking  American 
cigarettes  and  canying  American  issued  cookies  in  their 
pockets. 

We  fellows  felt  then  that  the  war  was  surely  nearing 
an  end  when  such  things  could  take  place  on  such  a  sector 
as  the  one  we  were  on ;  when  men  who  face  each  other  in 
death  grips  can  forget  hostilities  and  treat  the  "  other 
fellow,"  captured  and  helpless,  as  man  to  man. 

At  that  time  aeroplanes  of  both  the  Germans  and 
Americans  were  kept  busy  conducting  a  propaganda 
campaign.  One  day  a  Gei-man  plane  dropped  a  message, 
bundles  of  them  in  fact,  printed  in  English  and  French, 
explaining  that  "  GERMANY  WANTS  PEACE," 
and  setting  forth  the  "  reasons  "  why  the  Americans 
should  quit  figliting.  Another  propaganda  circular  read: 
"  QUIT  FIGHTING— Come  over  to  Germany  and  be 
a  free  boarder  until  the  end  of  the  war."  But  the  best 
one  of  all  was  the  one  that  the  Americans  sent  across ;  it 
told  the  Huns  the  real  reason  tliat  the  war  was  continuing 
— ^that  as  long  as  the  Kaiser  was  in  power  the  war  would 
go  on,  that  as  soon  as  he  was  fired  and  Germany  was 
wilhng  to  talk  the  Allies'  language,  the  war  would  end. 


296  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

On  November  1st  the  situation  seemed  so  encourag- 
ing for  an  early  end  of  the  war  that  I  wrote  home: 

The  war  must  be  very  nearly  ended  now,  for  word  comes  to-night 
through  official  channels  that  Turkey  has  virtually  given  in — and  so 
a  dream  of  early  return  to  the  good  old  U.  S.  A.,  of  parades  back 
home;  and  of  return  to  civilian  life  looms  up  to-night  as  a  greater 
possibility  than  ever.  I  am  hopeful  that  this  may  all  come  true— 
and  for  some  reason  or  other  I  believe  that  not  later  than  next  April 
23d  we  will  be  boarding  ship  for  the  land  we  love  and  for  which  we 
are  still  fighting. 

Tliis  prediction  of  April  23d,  merely  a  random  guess, 
was  not  so  far  wrong  after  all,  for  on  that  date  in  1919 
— though  we  did  not  know  it  during  those  days  in  Beney 
Woods — we  were  to  be  westward  bound  on  the  Atlantic 
Ocean. 

Full  appreciation  of  the  work  that  the  112th  Infantry 
and  the  other  units  of  the  28th  Division  were  doing  in  the 
front  line  in  the  Woevre  region  and  across  No  Man's 
Land  was  not  slow  in  coming  from  sources  *'  higher  up  " 
in  army  circles  when  one  batch  of  Germans  after  another 
was  forwarded  to  Division  Headquarters  from  the  little 
regimental  P.  C.  in  the  Bois  de  Beney. 

A  memorandum  from  Division  Headquarters  on  No- 
vember 6th  served  to  bring  the  fact  into  the  limelight  that 
the  work  which  Colonel  Rickards'  boys  was  doing  in 
"  getting  the  Hun  "  and  tracking  him  to  his  lair  was  not 
only  responsible  for  mention  of  the  Woevre  region  in  the 
daily  conmiuniques,  when  the  spectacular  advance 
toward  Sedan  by  the  Americans  threatened  to  dim  every 


PUTTING  LIFE  INTO  A  QUIET  SECTOR         297 

other  part  in  the  war  game  into  insignificance,  but  was 
also  appreciated  to  its  full  extent.  Here  are  the  tele- 
grams, given  verbatim,  as  they  were  quoted  in  the  memo- 
randum of  that  date : 

Headquarters  Second  Army, 

November  1,  1918. 
Commanding  General,  28th  Division: 

Congratulations  to  your  division  on  the  way  in  which  they  are 
bagging  the  Boche.     It  is  fine. 

BULLARD. 

Headquarters  Second  Army, 

November  2,  1918. 

Commanding  General,  28th  Division: 

Another  big  bag  of  Boche.  I  again  congratulate  the  28th  Divi- 
sion.   You  surely  know  how  to  do  it. 

BuLLARD. 

Fourth  Army  Corps, 
November  2,  1918. 
Commanding  General,  28th  Division: 

Accept  for  yourself  and  convey  to  the  officers  and  men  of  your 
division  who  participated  in  this  morning's  raid  of  the  Bois  Bonseil 
my  appreciation  of  the  excellent  results  obtained.  The  raid  was 
most  efficiently  planned  and  managed  and  executed  with  the  spirit 
that  wins. 

MuiR. 

Majo;*  General  Charles  Muir,  promoted  from  the 
command  of  the  28th  Division  to  command  of  the  Fourth 
Army  Corps,  might  just  as  well  have  designated  in  his 
telegram  the  112th  Infantry  for  the  work  in  the  Bois 
Bonseil — for  it  was  this  unit  that  did  all  the  work.    The 


298  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

raid  took  place  at  4.40  on  the  morning  of  the  2d.  Three 
German  officers  and  42  men  were  captured,  as  well  as  one 
light  Maxim  machine  gun.  The  patrol  from  our  lines 
consisted  of  three  officers  and  148  men,  all  from  the  3d 
Battalion.  As  the  rush  was  made,  the  doughboys  met 
with  slight  rifle  and  machine  gun  fire,  but  managed  to 
reach  the  German  trenches  just  the  same.  In  doing  so, 
we  lost  three  men  killed  and  21  wounded. 

Then  patrol  work  grew  in  earnest.  November  3d 
Clime  and  went,  without  event,  but  there  were  many  inci- 
dents crowded  into  the  history  of  the  4th.  Company  I 
advanced  as  a  patrol,  under  a  barrage  that  started  at  5.10 
in  the  morning.  German  machine  guns  couldn't  halt 
our  boys,  and  on  they  rushed,  right  through  the  barbed 
wire  and  imderbrush.  The  losses  were  three  killed  and 
30  wounded,  but  we  took  nine  prisoners. 

A  combat  patrol  from  Company  B,  led  by  Lieuten- 
ant Everett,  went  over  to  clean  out  the  Marimbois  Farm. 
One  German  was  killed  and  13  captured;  while  we  lost 
no  men  at  all.  Two  dugouts  and  a  pillbox  were  blown 
up  that  night  at  9  o'clock  by  another  patrol  in  charge  of 
Lieutenant  Everett.  Twelve  Huns  were  found  in  one 
dugout  and  surrendered.  Our  casualties  were  one  killed 
and  one  wounded. 

The  customary  reconnaissance  was  conducted  the  fol- 
lowing day,  but  without  event.  Shortly  before  noon  a 
German  plane  started  over  our  lines  and  was  within  our 
area  when  anti-aircraft  guns  began  popping.    The  ma- 


PUTTING  LIFE  INTO  A  QUIET  SECTOR  299 

chine  sped  on,  but  the  observer  was  shot  from  his  seat  and 
fell,  a  crumpled  mass,  in  the  2d  Battalion  area. 

And  then,  while  the  patrol  activities  continued  from 
day  to  day  and  our  men  pushed  farther  into  the  woods 
in  the  district  to  the  east  of  La  Chaussee  and  in  the  gen- 
eral direction  of  Chambley,  this  gratifying  communica- 
tion, addressed  to  the  Commanding  General  of  the  divi- 
sion, came  from  Headquarters  of  the  Second  Army: 

November  5,  1918. 
I  desire  to  inform  you  of  my  gratification  at  the  vigorous  and 
successful  activities  of  your  division  since  its  entry  into  line  on  the 
front  of  the  Second  Army,  The  recent  patrols  and  raids  have  re- 
sulted in  making  No  Man's  Land  our  land,  as  well  as  in  inflicting 
losses  on  them,  and  capturing  a  considerable  number  of  prisoners. 
Such  conduct  exemplifies  the  American  spirit  and  cannot  fail  to 
create  a  feeling  of  confidence  on  the  part  of  our  own  troops  and  of 
corresponding  depression  on  the  part  of  the  enemy.  The  28tli 
Division  has  shown  its  ability  to  execute  promptly  the  tasks  which 
have  been  given  to  it  to  perform,  and  its  officers  and  men  have  ex- 
hibited an  efficiency  and  dash  which  are  highly  commendable. 

R.   L.   BULLARD, 

Lieut enant-Gencral,  U.  S.  A. 

Such  words  of  appreciation  could  not  help  but  bring 
cheer  to  the  routine  days  of  the  Woevre  and  patrol 
parties  which  were  becoming  hard  worked.  Then,  as  the 
8th  and  9th  slipped  by,  interest  gi-ew  in  the  situation  be- 
tween the  Allies  and  Germany.  But,  meanwhile,  no 
chances  were  being  taken.  Machinery  was  set  on  foot 
and  secret  field  orders  were  printed  for  what  was  believed 
to  be  the  entering  wedge  in  a  drive  toward  Metz. 

This  was  the  battle  that  ahnost  was — but  never  came. 


SOO  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Field  Order  No.  58,  Headquarters  28th  Division,  dated 
at  20  minutes  after  12  on  the  morning  of  the  11th  of 
November,  declared  that  "  the  enemy  has  stubbornly- 
resisted  our  attack.  The  Fourth  Corps  will  break 
through  the  line  La  Chaussee-Charey  Remercourt- 
Preny  and  continue  its  advance  11th  November  at  5A5 
o'clock." 

This  last  order  of  the  World  War — as  circumstances 
a  short  time  afterward  proved  it  to  be — is  reproduced  in 
its  entirety,  constituting  as  it  does  a  battle  order  that 
would  have  opened  the  gateway  and  prepared  the  path 
for  the  28th  Division's  participation  in  General  Foch's 
great  drive  against  Metz,  planned  for  November  14th — 
an  admission  that  was  to  come  weeks  later.  Here  is  the 
order,  as  it  reached  the  112th  Infantry  Headquarters 
early  on  that  memorable  day,  November  11th: 

Secret 

Headquarters  28th  Division, 

American  Expeditionary  Forces 

France. 

Field  Orders  11th  November,  1918. 

No.  58.  MAPS :  Same  as  Field  Order  No.  55.  0.20  hour. 

1.  The  enemy  has  stubbornly  resisted  our  attack.  The  2d  Army 
continues  its  attack.  The  4th  Corps  will  break  through  the  line 
LA  CHAUSSEE-CHAREY-REMERCOURT-PRENY  and  con- 
tinue its  advance,  11th  November,  at  5.45  o'clock. 

2.  The  28th  Division  will  take  and  hold  the  enemy  trenches,  in- 
cluding the  BOIS  BONSEIL,  between  tlie  boundaries:  line  S60.02- 
249.2,  360.7-250.0,  and  line  360.7-248.0,  361.7-249.0. 

3.  (a)  The  55th  Brigade,  less  one  battalion,  will  execute  the 
attack. 


PUTTING  LIFE  INTO  A  QUIET  SECTOR         301 

(b)  The  3d  Battalion,  110th  Infantry,  will  remain  in  position 
and  provide  combat  liaison  with  the  33d  Division. 

The  56th  Brigade,  less  two  battalions,  will  be  in  reserve  in  the 
vicinity  of  ST.  BENOIT  prepared  to  move  upon  call.  The  3d  Bat- 
talion of  the  112th  Infantry  will  maintain  its  position  now  in  the 
sector.  The  battalion  in  BOIS  DE  DOMMARTIN  will  hold  its 
position. 

The  Commanding  General,  55th  Brigade,  will  be  prepared,  after 
seizing  the  enemy's  main  line  of  position,  to  then  move  to  the  right  and 
left  and  capture  the  enemy's  main  line  trenches  to  include  LA 
CHAUSSEE  and  DAMPVITOUX  and  after  this  to  move  on 
HAGEVILLE,  where  he  will  seize  and  hold  a  defensive  position 
and  await  orders. 

(c)  ARTILLERY: 

The  artillery  will  execute  destructive  fire  on  the  enemy's  main 
line  positions  until  H  hour.  At  H  hour  a  standing  barrage  will  be 
placed  upon  the  front-line  trench  in  the  sector  of  attack.  The  pro- 
gram as  executed  from  that  point  on  in  the  attack  of  the  55th  Brigade 
on  10th  November  in  that  sector  will  then  be  carried  out. 

The  Artillery  Brigade  Commander  will  be  prepared  to  concen- 
trate  heavy  destructive  fire  on  the  town  of  LA  CHAUSSEE  and  the 
towns  of  DAMPVITOUX  and  DOMMARTIN.  This  fire  to  be 
maintained  imtil  a  designated  H  hour,  to  then  raise  in  order  that  the 
infantry  may  attack.  The  attack  on  LA  CHAUSSEE  by  the  in- 
fantry will  be  from  the  east.  The  attack  on  DAMPVITOUX  will 
be  from  the  northwest.  In  addition  he  will  be  prepared  to  cover 
an  infantry  advance  on  HAGEVILLE. 

(X)  Periodic  situation  reports  will  be  rendered  to  the  Chief 
of  Staff  every  hour  by  Brigade  Commanders. 

4.  Administrative  Orders :  No  change. 

5.  Plan  of  Liaison :  No  change. 
P.  C.'s :  No  change. 

By  command  of  Major  General  Muir: 
Official.  W.  C.  Sweeney, 

E.  P.  Denson,  Chief  of  Staff. 

A.  C.  of  S.  G-S. 


302  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

The  order  had  hardly  arrived  and  the  first  copies 
made  ready  for  distribution  to  the  battahons,  when  a  flash 
came  over  the  telephone  to  hold  up  the  attack  until  fur- 
ther orders.  Then  anxious  minutes  and  finally  hours 
slipped  by,  and  officers  stood  waiting  for  the  word  to 
rush  the  attack.  At  twenty-five  minutes  past  8  o'clock 
came  the  welcome  word  over  the  field  telephone  that  the 
armistice  had  been  signed  and  that  all  hostilities  were  to 
cease  at  11  a.m.  that  day. 

Rimners  who  were  waiting  to  speed  the  message  to 
take  up  the  attack  carried  this  memorandum,  far  more 
welcome  than  the  other,  to  battalion  P.  C.'s.  Officers  and 
enlisted  men  could  hardly  confine  their  enthusiasm.  The 
memo  read : 

Headquarters  112th  Infantry, 

American  Expeditionary  Forces 

France. 

November  11,  1918. 
Memorandum  No.  1.  8.30  hr. 

The  following  message  receive  at  8.25  hr.,  11  November,  1918, 
is  published  for  the  information  and  guidance  of  all  concerned  and 
will  be  strictly  observed  and  adhered  to : 

"  In  compliance  with  orders  from  higher  command  announcing 
that  the  armistice  was  signed  effective  11.00  hr.,  November  11th,  at 
or  before  that  time  all  hostilities  and  advances  must  cease.  The 
Division  Commander  directs  that  there  be  no  further  attacks  made, 
but  that  small  formations  be  pushed  forward  and  dig  in  in  front  of 
front-line  units  for  defense.  There  must  be  no  advance  after  11 
o'clock,  at  which  time  all  Battalion  Commanders  in  the  forward  line 


PUTTING  LIFE  INTO  A  QUIET  SECTOR  303 

will  submit  accurate  sketch  showing  the  position  of  their  most  ad- 
vance elements.  No  communication  will  be  held  with  the  enemy 
in  any  manner  or  form  whatsoever." 

By  order  of 

Col.  Geo.  C.  Rickards. 
Official 
James  C.  Shaw, 

Captain,  112th  Infantry, 
Adj  utant. 

And  then,  as  in  many  another  attack,  but  surpassing 
in  severity  and  point  of  concentration  any  fire  hereto- 
fore witnessed,  all  hell  let  loose.  American  gunners 
tlirew  into  their  75s  and  155s  and  whatever  cahber  guns 
were  in  that  district,  every  available  shell ;  speed  records 
in  sending  them  into  German  territory  were  broken,  and 
Jerry,  too,  was  not  slow  in  answering — with  the  result 
that  for  more  than  two  hom-s  every  acre  of  ground  witliin 
that  forest  area  literally  became  the  most  unsafe  place 
on  earth. 

Yet  the  God  of  Battles  was  with  our  outfit  that  day; 
not  only  had  the  armistice  come,  but  not  a  man  was 
wounded  or  killed  in  the  merciless  fire  that  poured  into 
our  territory;  what  casualties  our  gunners  inflicted  in 
"  Germany  "  may  never  be  known. 

Those  boys  of  the  regiment  who  were  in  the  trenches 
that  day,  on  duty  as  runners  in  the  Beney  woods  or  at 
work  in  the  battalion  and  regimental  P.  C.'s  can  all  vouch 
for  the  severity  of  that  shellfii'e. 

They  can  tell  you  of  how,  during  the  last  few  hours 
of  battle,  hundi-eds  upon  hundreds  of  American  shells 


304  WITH  THE  112TH  INiFRANCE 

were  sent  flying  into  Gemiany,  while  the  Huns  did  their 
worst  to  make  things  miserable  for  the  Americans  in  like 
manner;  but  the  Germans  did  not  succeed.  The  shells 
di'opped  everywhere — passed  each  other  en  route,  Amer- 
ican and  German  made,  and  the  fellows  who  were 
through  the  hell  of  Fismes,  the  treacherous  passage  in  the 
Argonne,  and  in  the  hard  patrol  work  in  this  particular 
sector,  declared  those  last  moments  of  the  war  game 
had  nothing  on  the  other  days,  so  far  as  comfort  was 
concerned. 

"  There  was  more  hell  in  five  minutes  from  real  con- 
centrated shellfire  than  w^e  had  ever  seen,"  remarked  one 
doughboy  who  had  been  through  the  worst  of  the  game 
in  France. 

Lester  Swartz,  of  Newburg,  wrote  this  about  the 
eventful  hours  of  that  morning: 

This  is  a  day  that  will  never  be  forgotten  (November  11).  For 
the  last  few  days  we  have  been  very  active,  sending  out  patrols,  etc., 
and  the  artillery  has  been  continually  shelling.  This  morning  at 
about  2  o'clock  we  received  orders  to  make  an  attack  some  time  during 
the  morning. 

Last  evening  we  received  word  that  the  armistice  had  been 
signed,  but  that  was  all  we  were  able  to  find  out.  This  morning, 
for  some  reason,  the  attack  was  held  up,  but  the  troops  were  held  in 
readiness  to  go  over  at  any  moment.  At  8.25  a.m.  the  Colonel  called 
me  to  his  quarters,  and  when  I  entered  he  was  talking  on  the  tele- 
phone. He  told  me  to  take  down  what  they  said  to  him,  and  it  was 
the  message  calling  for  hostilities  to  cease  at  11  a.m.  I  surely  pub- 
lished that  message  in  record  time. 

All  the  forenoon  the  artillery  kept  up  a  devilish  fire  and,  of 
course,  we  cursed  them  all.    It  was  tough  luck  that  some  fellows  had 


PUTTING  LIFE  INTO  A  QUIET  SECTOR  305 

to  be  picked  off  at  the  last  minute.  Just  before  11  a.m.  I  went  to 
the  Colonel's  quarters  for  his  approval  on  a  memorandum  I  was  to 
publish.  Shortly  before  11  (at  exactly  10.59.20)  the  artillery  cut 
loose  with  the  highest  speed  they  could  fire.  The  din  was  terrific. 
We  were  watching  on  the  Colonel's  watch,  and  at  3  seconds  before 
1 1  o'clock  the  last  shot  was  fired.  As  the  roar  died  away  in  the 
woods  the  Colonel  looked  up  and  said,  "  Thank  God,  that  finishes  it!  " 

A  few  days  later  Colonel  Rickards  said: 

I  think  that  the  most  terrible  gunfire  that  I  have  witnessed  was 
the  last  three  hours  of  the  war.  I  estimate  that  in  the  area  occupied 
by  the  112th  Infantry  about  3000  shells  fell,  and  most  remarkable 
to  state,  not  a  casualty  from  one  of  tliem.  This  seems  almost  im- 
possible, yet  it  is  a  fact.  The  last  gun  that  I  heard  "fired  from  our 
side  was  at  just  three  seconds  to  11  o'clock.  The  last  shell  that  I 
heard  coming  from  the  enemy  was  a  6-inch  one  that  fell  within  75 
yards  of  my  P.  C,  but,  fortunately,  it  was  a  dud.  This  was  at 
1 1  o'clock. 

There  you  have  the  complete  story.  The  moment  the 
guns  quit  firing,  however,  and  the  earth  no  longer  rocked 
under  the  terrific  vibration,  Heinies  and  Yanks  alike 
were  out  of  the  trenches,  through  the  wire,  and  shaking 
hands.  Then  for  a  whole  hour  the  souvenir  business  did 
a  remarkable  exchange.  Chocolates,  cigarettes  and  to- 
bacco Avent  for  German  belt  buckles,  coins,  buttons, 
shoulder-straps,  anything  else  the  Heinie  was  glad  to 
part  with.  No  soldiers  were  more  delighted  than  tlie 
Huns  themselves  that  the  conflict  was  over. 

That  night  signal  flares  and  torches  were  sent  into 
the  azm*e  blue  from  all  corners  of  No  Man's  Land  and 
from  the  trenches ;  lights  cut  their  way  througli  the  woods 
from  uncovered  windows  that  marked  tlie  P.  C.     The 

20 


306  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

night  was  "  quiet "  for  once  in  the  war  zone — the  peace 
that  will  become  permanent  had  come  at  last. 

A  few  days  later  one  of  the  112th  doughboys,  de- 
scribing the  last  moments  on  the  line,  wrote  home,  adding 
these  paragi-aphs : 

There  is  no  denying  the  fact  that  it  is  a  great  feeling  to  know 
that  bombing  planes  are  not  after  your  goat  or  shells  aren't  dogging 
you  on  the  way  to  mess,  scattering  shrapnel  this  way  and  that.  The 
nights  are  perfect — clear,  blue  sky,  with  a  fine  moon,  and  all  the  old 
stirs — we  take  a  deeper  interest  in  the  beauties  of  nature  now  when 
we  feel  that  there  isn't  much  chance  of  gazing  that  way,  with  toes 
turned  up,  all  the  time.  The  hellish  days  of  shellfire,  weird,  miser- 
able, terrorizing  nights  are  over;  we  sleep  the  sleep  of  other  days — 
and  hopes  grow  bigger  and  bigger  every  day.  We  long  for  the  time 
to  get  back  to  the  good  old  U.  S.  A.,  and  are  hoping  that  the  departure 
for  a  seaport  will  not  be  many  months  distant. 

If  we  were  to  believe  every  rumor  that  comes  our  way,  rumors 
more  plentiful  than  even  the  Mexican  border  ever  saw,  we  would  be 
on  shipboard  before  December  was  far  advanced  and  would  be  in 
the  national  capital  not  long  after.  But  we'll  get  there  some  time, 
don't  worry! 

On  the  afternoon  of  November  11th  Colonel  Rick- 
ards  addressed  a  memorandum  to  all  the  officers  and 
men  of  the  command,  calling  upon  them  for  their  support 
in  the  days  that  were  to  follow  the  armistice,  days  in 
which  there  was  work  of  another  character  to  be  done. 
He  said : 

The  Great  World  War  is  slowly  but  surely  drawing  to  an  end. 
This  regiment  has  taken  a  part  second  to  none,  lias  met  all  its  duties 
and  in  every  way  proven  its  worthiness;  gaining  and  holding  the 
confidence  of  all  who  came  in  contact  with  it.  While  it  has  done  all 
this,  its  duties  are  not  yet  completed.     Even  after  peace  negotiations 


PUTTING  LIFE  INTO  A  QUIET  SECTOR  307 

have  been  signed  between  the  two  great  war  powers  and  the  world 
again  settles  into  its  natural  state,  we  of  the  armies  have  still  work 
to  perform  in  the  furtherance  of  humanity,  protection  of  human 
rights,  releasing  of  enemy  territory  and  cleaning  the  vast  area  laid 
waste  by  the  devastation  of  war. 

How  far  this  regiment  will  be  called  upon  in  the  execution  of 
these  duties  is  not  known,  it  perhaps  may  be  assigned  to  none  of 
them.  Aside  from  the  foregoing  there  is  still  another  duty,  one  that 
calls  for  individual  efforts  that  cannot  be  disregarded  if  we  as  an  or- 
ganization and  individuals  expect  to  sustain  the  good  name  made. 
This  is  discipline  and  military  bearing,  soldierly  conduct  and  the 
respect  of  the  rights  and  persons  of  others. 

The  return  home  of  organizations  for  final  muster  out  of  the 
service,  whenever  this  should  be,  should  show  an  organization  in 
which  nothing  for  criticism  can  be  found  and  here  is  where  the  indi- 
vidual, by  his  bearing  and  conduct,  can  make  the  regiment  100 
per  cent,  perfect. 

Within  the  next  day  or  two  the  regiment  will  be  moved  into  a 
back  area  where  a  reorganization  will  take  place.  Ranks  will  be 
filled,  promotions  made  and  the  regiment  tuned  up  in  general. 

Drill  and  instruction  will  be  resumed  and  the  Commanding 
Officer  calls  upon  every  officer  and  man  to  put  forward  his  best 
effort  to  make  the  regiment  all  that  can  be  desired  in  a  military 
organization. 

Permanent  relief  from  the  sector  came  at  noon  the 
following  day,  when  the  109th  took  up  the  positions. 
And  a  few  days  later,  when  word  came  that  the  Army 
of  Occupation  was  en  route  to  Germany  and  the  Huns 
had  withdrawn  from  all  of  France,  even  these  positions  in 
the  Woevre  were  abandoned.  Then,  ^vith  typical  Ameri- 
can expression,  came  a  memorandum  from  the  Corps 
Headquarters  announcinjr  tliat  trenches  could  be  taken 
over  by  French  farmers  for  purposes  of  agriculture,  and 


308  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

where  barbed  wire  was  in  the  way,  the  French  residents 
should  not  be  hindered  in  its  removal.  The  plow  had 
given  way  to  the  sword  once  again  in  a  country  where  for 
four  years  soldiers  of  the  belligerents  had  fought  for  each 
other's  life,  and  hundreds  had  paid  the  price. 

The  112th  quietly  slipped  back  into  the  region  of 
Buxieres,  some  six  miles  from  St.  Mihiel  in  an  easterly 
direction.  Regimental  Headquarters  was  established  in 
the  town  the  night  of  November  12th,  and  the  other  units, 
completing  the  march  from  the  line  via  Pannes,  Nonsard 
and  Heudicourt,  took  up  positions  on  the  hills  and  in 
German  barracks  within  a  four-mile  radius. 

One  of  the  saddest  features  of  the  last  twenty-four 
hours  of  battle  was  the  wounding  of  Captain  Harry  F. 
Miller,  of  Meadville,  who  was  acting  as  battalion  com- 
mander. Due  to  our  own  barrage  falling  short,  Captain 
]\liller  was  caught  in  the  fire  as  he  advanced,  wounded  by 
shrapnel  in  seven  places,  the  most  serious  being  in  the 
back  of  the  neck.  So  critical  was  his  condition  for  a  week 
that  he  could  not  be  moved;  and  then,  when  chances 
seemed  favorable  for  his  recovery,  he  was  placed  in  an 
ambulance  and  sent  to  Base  Hospital  85  at  Toul.  There, 
a  few  days  later,  he  received  his  commission  as  Major — 
a  promotion  he  had  so  well  earned,  not  only  for  his  vigor- 
ous and  coolheaded  conduct  in  the  Woevre,  but  for  the 
manner  in  which  he  handled  his  battalion  at  all  times 
since  arriving  in  France.  His  men  played  a  prominent 
part  in  the  war  game  at  Fismes  and  Fismette,  and  did  no 
small  share,  too,  in  winning  for  it  the  glory  that  the  Ar- 


PUTTING  LIFE  INTO  A  QUIET  SECTOR  309 

gonne  brought  to  the  officers  and  men  of  Colonel  Rick- 
ards'  command. 

It  was  characteristic  of  the  man  who  had  guided  the 
destinies  of  the  112th  and  looked  after  the  welfare  of  its 
3000  men  to  exclaim,  when  the  last  shot  was  fired: 
"  Thank  God,  it  is  all  over!  "  Long  before,  even  before 
the  regiment  had  departed  for  Camp  Hancock,  and  when 
the  old  16tli  still  claimed  western  Pennsylvania  as  its 
home  and  boasted  of  its  achievements  as  a  separate  unit, 
he  had  promised  to  look  after  "  each  soldier  as  his  son  " ; 
in  the  long  nights  of  tramping,  in  the  effort  to  make  these 
men  of  his — "  my  boys,"  as  he  liked  to  call  them — com- 
fortable, no  one  will  ever  know  what  effort  was  expended 
and  to  what  exent  Colonel  Rickards  carried  his  pleas  to 
make  the  hardships  of  the  army  game  the  lighter,  espe- 
cially in  those  days  when  the  roughest  part  of  the  contest 
M'as  on,  and  men  dropped,  killed  and  wounded,  as  they 
carried  the  flag  of  their  country  farther  into  the  land 
of  the  Hun. 

With  the  same  kindly  attitude,  he  directed  the  af- 
fairs of  the  Regiment  during  the  other  trying  days  that 
were  to  follow  the  armistice  signing  and  the  months  that 
were  to  intervene  before  the  old  outfit  was  actually 
aboard  ships,  sailing  homeward. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  CASUALTY  LIST 

Infantry  Hit  Hardest  of  All  Units  Engaged, 
ll^th's  Losses  Being  2156— Officers  Played 
Heroic  Role — Their  Losses  18  Killed  and  37  Wounded — 
Much    Booty   Taken — Doughboys    Hiked    375    Kilos. 

The  official  admission  that  the  28th  Division  stands 
fourth  on  the  final  Ai-my  casualty  list  and  first  on  the 
roster  of  National  Guard  Regiments  participating  in 
front-line  engagements  is  eloquent  proof  that  the  Key- 
stone organization  was  in  the  forefront  of  battle. 

The  latest  War  Department  table  of  dead  and 
wounded  indicates  that  the  28th  sustained  16,277  casu- 
alties, of  which  2531  represent  those  whose  bodies  still 
sleep  in  the  fm-rowed,  shell-plowed  fields  of  France. 
This  was  Pennsjdvania's  contribution  through  the  Na- 
tional Guard  to  the  World  War. 

And  proof  again  that  it  is  the  doughboy  who  goes 
right  into  the  enemy  lines,  who  bears  the  shock  and  the 
brunt  of  the  conflict,  and  who  at  all  times  pays  the  price, 
is  the  added  statement  tliat  12,163  infantrymen  were 
either  killed,  wounded  or  listed  as  missing  during  the 
period  of  four  and  a  half  months  that  the  28th  Division 
was  in  action  overseas. 

Figures  are  not  always  the  most  interesting  evidence 
in  the  world,  and  yet  it  is  the  list  of  official  totals  that  the 
War  Department  recognizes  and  wliich  furnishes  testi- 
mony to  the  world  for  years  afterward  that  a  division 
sio 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  CASUALTY  LIST  311 

played  its  role  superbly.  It  is  only  natural  that  such 
veteran  divisions  as  the  2d,  1st  and  3d,  those  which  were 
into  the  war  game  far  in  advance  of  the  28th,  should  sus- 
tain the  heaviest  casualties.  The  part  they  played  is 
among  the  bravest  and  most  heroic  in  history. 

While  the  112th  Infantry  as  part  of  the  28th  Division 
had  but  2156  casualties,  exceeded  in  number  by  all  three 
of  the  other  infantry  regiments  of  the  division,  it  must 
be  remembered  that  judicious  tactics,  careful  planning  of 
attacks  and  their  opportune  execution  have  a  bearing  on 
the  number  of  casualties  any  regiment  will  sustain.  The 
112th  was  through  the  hellfire  of  it  all  on  every  front  that 
the  division  was  assigned  to ;  good  luck  and  a  good  com- 
mander helped  keep  the  toll  of  life  within  bounds. 

The  advance  on  the  Ourcq  and  the  Vesle,  during  the 
period  from  July  28th  to  September  7th,  proved  costlier 
to  every  infantry  unit  of  the  28th  Division  than  even  the 
hard-fought  passage  of  the  Argonne  Forest,  yet  in  num- 
ber of  days  engaged  the  latter  campaign  actually  claimed 
a  heavier  toll. 

The  figures  for  all  front-line  engagements  for  the 
four  infantr}^  regiments  of  the  28th  follow: 

Fifth  German  Offensive,  July  I-Ith  to  July  27th 

Severely  Slightly 

Wounded  Wounded  Missing  Total 

123              631  458  1321 

68              304  26  429 

53              266  11  381 

12                62  225  350 


Killed 

109th  Infantry  .  . 

.  .    109 

111th  Infantry  .  . 

.  .      31 

112th  Infantry  .  . 

.  .      51 

110th  Infantry  .  . 

.  .      51 

312  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Advance  on  Ourcq  and  Vesle,  July  28th  to  September  7th 

Severely  Slightly 

Killed      Wounded  Wounded  Missing  Total 

110th  Infantry 314              235  1168  86  1803 

109th  Infantry 85               163  874  211  1333 

111th  Infantry 193               131  843  90  1257 

112th  Infantry 122                92  461  196  871 

Meuse-Argonne  Offensive,  September  26th  to  October  9th 

Severely  Slightly 

Killed      Wounded  Wounded  Missing  Total 

110th  Infantry 128               140              704  259  1231 

109th  Infantry 68                97              486  193  844 

111th  Infantry 162                 91               483  69  805 

112th  Infantry 146                77              390  51  664 

Thiaucourt  Sector,  October  15th  to  November  11th 

Severely  Slightly 

Killed      Wounded  Wounded  Missing  Total 

111th  Infantry 29                24               166                97  316 

1 12th  Infantry 28                 34              170                   8  240 

109th  Infantry 11                19              137                59  226 

110th  Infantry 10                   9                 44                 29  92 

Division  figures — including  infantry,  artillery,  ma- 
chine gun  battalions  and  all  other  units — show  that  the 
28th's  losses  in  the  four  general  engagements  and  be- 
tween actions  were : 

Severely  Slightly 

Killed  Wounded  Wounded  Missing  Total 

5th  German  offensive 261  311          1507  720  2799 

Advance  on  Vesle 786  812         4229  596  6423 

Meuse-Argonne  drive  .  .  .    549  468          2442  585  4044 

Thiaucourt  sector 84  96           638  193  1011 

Between  actions 112  185            531  156  984 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  CASUALTY  LIST  313 

The  period  described  as  "  between  actions  "  includes  the  period 
of  lying  in  reserve  and  during  the  relief,  comprising  such  dates  as 
May  15  to  June  29;  June  30  to  July  13;  September  8  to  September 
25;  October  8  to  October  15,  and  the  figures  for  these  intervals,  as 
shown  by  the  official  report,  are: 

Severely     Slightly 
Killed  Wounded  Wounded  Missing 

May  15-June  29 0  2  11  0 

June  30-July  13 25  59  38  23 

September  8-September  25 41  45  196  26 

October  8-October  15 46  79  286  107 

Casualties  of  the  112th  Infantry,  subdivided  by  headings,  show: 
Killed,  347;  severely  wounded,  256;  slightly  wounded,  1287;  missing, 
266;  total  all  engagements,  2156. 

In  the  number  of  replacements  received,  the  division 
likewise  stood  fourth,  with  22,384  new  men  to  fill  the 
ranks  and  take  the  places  of  those  who  had  been  sent  to 
the  rear  wounded  or  who  had  fallen  on  the  field  of  battle 
for  the  last  time.  The  2d,  1st  and  3d  Divisions,  just  as 
in  the  casualty  list,  head  the  replacement  totals. 

It  would  require  a  special  volume,  or  perhaps  two,  to 
give  by  name  a  complete  roster  of  the  replacements  re- 
ceived and  the  casualties  sustained  by  such  an  organiza- 
tion as  the  112th  Infantiy,  and  so  no  attempt  is  made. 
Even  such  an  effort,  confined  to  a  single  company,  would 
be  a  laborious  process,  with  mistakes  and  errors  so  likely 
that  it  would  take  weeks  to  compile  an  accurate  accoimt. 

However,  in  the  belief  that  the  doughboy  is  appre- 
ciative of  those  who  led  him  over  the  top,  who  saw  to  his 
welfare  on  the  hike  or  in  billets,  those  who,  as  officers, 


314  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

played  the  war  game  as  best  they  knew,  a  list  of  the 
officer  casualties  is  submitted. 

No  figiu'es  are  more  eloquent  of  duty  well  done  than 
those  which  show  that  18  112th  officers  were  killed  and 
37  wounded  in  action. 

The  list  of  killed  follows : 

Killed  in  Action  South  of  Marne. 
William  C.  Orr,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  E ;  killed  in  action  by  shrapnel  early 
on  morning  of  July  1 5th  at  Petit  Noue. 

Killed  in  Action  North  of  Marne. 

Harold  D.  Speakman,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  E;  killed  in  action  by  shell- 
fire,  July  25th,  near  Courpoil,  during  the  record  advance  by  Captain 
Phelps'  2d  Battalion. 

James  M.  Henderson,  Captain,  Co.  D ;  killed  in  action  by  shrap- 
nel July  25th,  in  Foret  de  Fere,  near  Courpoil.  The  shell  which  killed 
Capt.  Henderson  made  a  direct  hit. 

Emil  E.  H.  Lauterwasser,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  L;  killed  in  action  by  shell- 
fire,  August  7th,  near  Villa  Savoye.  This  enemy  shellfire,  in  point 
of  concentration,  was  declared  by  Colonel  Rickards  to  be  the  heaviest 
of  the  war  up  until  that  time. 

Joseph  A.  Landry,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  G;  killed  in  action  at  Fismette, 

morning  of  August  27th.    The  story  of  Landry's  bravery  during  that 

surprise  attack  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  pages  of  the  regiment's 

history. 

Killed  in  the  Argonne  Forest 

Louis  Raymond  Abel,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  M;  killed  in  action,  Septem- 
ber 27th,  by  gunshot  wound  above  the  heart.         * 

Hugh  R.  Doane,  Captain,  Co.  H;  killed  in  action,  September 
29th,  by  gunshot  wound.  Capt.  Doane  had  previously  been  wounded 
in  action  in  fighting  south  of  the  Marne  in  July. 

Randall  S.  Houghton,  2d  Lt,  Co.  A;  killed  in  action  by  machine 
gun  fire,  September  29th.  Houghton  had  received  his  commission 
only  a  short  time  previous ;  he  was  one  of  the  best  liked  of  the  young 
lieutenants  in  the  command — a  Corry  boy  of  whom  all  were  proud. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  CASUALTY  LIST  315 

Frederick  O.  Blankenship,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  L;  killed  in  action  on 
September  28th  by  gunshot  wound.  He  was  one  of  the  old  l6th 
officers. 

Walter  V.  Agin,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  D;  killed  in  action,  October  1st. 

Philip  E.  Kriechbaum,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  C;  killed  in  action,  October 
2d,  by  gunshot  wound. 

Walter  J.  Flynn,  2d  Lt,  Co.  Dj  fatally  wounded  in  action, 
September  29th,  by  machine  gun  fire. 

Victor  Volz,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  F;  fatally  wounded  by  shrapnel  and 
exploding  pistol  ammunition,  October  3d,  in  Argonne. 

James  A.  Shannon,  Lieut.-Colonel;  died  October  7th  from  gun- 
shot wound  received  when  a  Hun  sniper  picked  him  off.  Colonel 
Shannon  was  watching  the  taking  of  Chatel  Chehery  from  a  door- 
way in  the  town  when  he  received  his  fatal  wound. 

Frank  R.  Fleming,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  M;  died  from  wounds  on  October 
11th,  received  in  action  on  third  day  of  Argonne  battle.  He  was  in 
command  of  his  company  when  German  snipers  picked  him  off  in 
an  open  field.  He  was  also  wounded  slightly  at  Nogentel  on 
July  15  th.  1 

Robert  F.  Arnold,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  H;  died  October  13th  from  shrap- 
nel wound  received  in  action  in  early  part  of  Argonne  battle. 

Killed  on  Thiaucourt  Front 

Daniel  F.  McCarthy,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  D ;  died  October  23d  at  Base 
Hos])ital  22  from  pneumonia,  following  wounds  received  in  action. 

Alexander  M.  Russell,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  I ;  killed  in  action,  November 
2d,  by  shellfire  near  Haumont. 

The  names 'of  the  officers  of  the  112th  Infantry  who 
were  wounded  in  action  follow : 

Wounded  South  op  Marne 

Jacob  B.  Abbott,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  G;  July  l6tli,  near  Arrouard; 
slightly. 

William  E.  Franks,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  C;  July  loth,  near  Arrouard; 
severely. 


Si6  WITH  THE1112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Reuben  J.  Sharpe,  Captain^  Co.  E.;  gassed  July  l6th,  at 
Petit  Noue. 

Lucius  M.  Phelps,  Captain,  Co.  G;  July  15th,  near  Arrouard; 
slightly  wounded;  severely  wounded  by  shrapnel,  August  27th,  near 
Fismes. 

Adolph  G.  Timm,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  E;  slightly  wounded  by  shrapnel, 
July  l6th,  near  Arrouard. 

William  R.  Wadsworth,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  E;  gassed,  July  l6th,  near 
Arrouard. 

Oscar  F.  Jacobs,  2d  Lt.,  M.  G.  Co.;  severely  wounded,  July  15th, 
near  Arrouard. 

Wounded  North  of  the  Marne 

Eric  S.  Munson,  1st  Lt,  Co.  I;  action  near  Hill  204,  July  7th; 
slightly;  shellshock,  action  at  Fismes,  August  12th, 

Charles  B.  Smathers,  Major,  1st  Bn. ;  gassed,  July  25th,  near 
Courpoil. 

Albert  A.  L.  Young,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  H;  action  near  Hill  204; 
wounded  in  arm;  later  captured  in  action  of  August  27th  at 
Fismette. 

Wounded  in  Action  Along  the  Vesle 

Byron  L.  Ackerly,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  H;  August  8th,  near  Fismes; 
returned  to  United  States ;  wound  severe. 

James  E.  Dillon,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  K;  gassed  near  Fismes,  August 
7th,  and  shellshocked,  October  4th,  in  Argonne. 

Milford  W.  Fredenburg,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  H;  slightly  wounded  by 
shrapnel  at  Fismette,  August  27th. 

Roy  L.  McBride,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  A;  gassed,  September  5th,  at 
Fismes. 

Arthur  J.  Olson,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  C ;  August  9th,  at  Fismes. 

Henry  J.  Pleacher,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  L;  severely  gassed,  August  8th, 
near  Resson  Fme. 

Samuel  A.  Souder,  Jr.,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  E ;  August  9th,  near  Fismes. 

Carl  C.  Tintsman,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  H;  gassed,  August  4th,  near 
Resson  Fme. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  CASUALTY  LIST  317 

Ben  E.  Turner,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  H;  caught  in  machine  gun  fire, 
August  27th,  at  Fismette. 

Wynne  Van  Schaick,  2d  Lt.,  Co.   L;  gassed  and  wounded  by 
shellfire,  August  26th,  near  Fismes. 

Paul  E.  Ziegler,  Captain,  Hq.   Co.;  August  20th,  at  Fismes; 
wound  slight. 

John  L.  Heilman,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  H;  August  8th,  near  Fismes. 

Robert  D.  Jenkins,  Captain,  Co.  I;  wounded  by  bomb,  August 
7th,  near  Fismes. 

Joseph  E.  Kenvan,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  H;  gassed,  August  8th,  near 
Resson  Fme. 

Roy  R.  Kriechbaum,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  C;  wounded  by  machine  gun 
fire,  August  9th,  at  Fismette. 

Harry  D.  McCluskey,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  F;  gassed,  August  9th,  near 
Fismette, 

John  F.  McCloskey,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  G,  shellfire,  August  9th,  at 
Fismes. 

Wounded  in  Action  in  the  Argonne 

Joseph  A.  Elgin,  Captain,  Co.  L;  slight  machine  gim  wound, 
September  28th. 

Thomas  A.  Elgin,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  K;  September  26th,  in  Argonne. 

Cecil  R.  Everett,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  B;  gassed,  October  2d,  in  Argonne. 

Percy  W.  LaPaze,  2d  Lt,  Co.  A;  gunshot  wound,  October  2d, 
in  Argonne. 

Frederick   L   McKelvey,  2d  Lt.,   Co.   M;  severe  machine  gun 
wound,  September  27th,  in  Argonne. 

Hoyt  R.  Ogram,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  D;  September  29th,  in  Argonne. 

Frederick  L.  Pond,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  B;  gunshot  wound,  September 
29th,  in  Argonne. 

Frank  L.  Ruffing,  1st  Lt.,  Co.  E;  gunshot  wound,  October  3d, 
in  Argonne. 

Wounded  in  Action  on  Thiaucourt  Sector 
Harry  F.  Miller,  Captain,  Co.  B;  severely  wounded,  November 
10th.     Captain  Miller  was  promoted  to  Major  while  in  the  hospital. 
James  C.  Strange,  2d  Lt.,  Co.  E;  gunshot  wound,  October  18th. 


318  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

When  the  112th  went  into  action  on  any  front,  officers 
were  with  the  men,  and  the  casualty  list  is  proof  of  the 
fact  that  they  were  exposed  to  the  same  danger,  endured 
the  same  hardships  and  were  the  same  heroes  in  the  line 
as  the  doughboy  who  fought  on  day  to  day  and  kept  the 
game  going  in  America's  favor.  A  review  of  the  officers 
who  were  with  the  regiment  at  Camp  Hancock,  who 
stayed  with  it  through  the  campaign  in  France,  and  of  the 
changing  personnel,  as  new  officers  came  to  the  organiza- 
tion, forms  one  of  the  interesting  phases  of  the  life  of 
the  regiment. 

Throughout  the  entire  training  period  at  Camp  Han- 
cock and  during  the  tour  of  active  service  in  France, 
Colonel  George  C.  Rickards,  with  the  exception  of  those 
periods  when  he  acted  as  Brigade  Commander,  was  in 
charge  of  the  regiment. 

Lieut.- Colonel  Robert  B.  Gamble,  of  Meadville,  sec- 
ond in  command  at  Camp  Hancock,  remained  in  that 
position  until  the  latter  part  of  July,  when,  in  the  Foret 
de  Fere,  he  was  sent  to  a  hospital  and  was  later  assigned 
to  duty  elsewhere,  finally  being  given  charge  of  the  Brit- 
tany leave  area  on  the  west  coast  of  France.  He  never 
returned  to  the  regiment. 

The  roster  of  the  old  16th  Infantry  on  September  20, 
1917,  after  its  arrival  at  Camp  Hancock,  shows  the  fol- 
lowing officers  in  command  of  their  respective  units : 

First  Battalion — Major  Charles  B.  Smathers;  Lieu- 
tenant Charles  R.  Galbrath,  Adjutant.  Second  Bat- 
talion— Major  Charles  E.  Bordwell;  Lieutenant  Frank 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  CASUALTY  LIST  319 

L.  Ruffing,  Adjutant.  Third  Battalion — Major  Charles 
F.  Clyde;  Lieutenant  Howard  K.  Gibson,  Adjutant. 

Captain  James  C.  Shaw,  of  Oil  City,  who  was  Regi- 
mental Adjutant  on  the  border  and  who  served  in  the 
same  capacity  at  Camp  Hancock,  proved  on  every  occa- 
sion overseas  that  he  was  the  man  fitted  for  the  job.  He 
was  Colonel  Rickards'  right-hand  officer  at  all  times,  and 
no  one  could  have  had  a  greater  interest  in  the  regiment, 
paying  particular  attention  to  the  hundred  and  one  odd 
details,  than  he.  Recommended  for  promotion  to  Major 
for  his  valued  services,  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  he  was  not 
given  the  honor  before  returning  from  overseas  duty. 

The  roster  of  company  commanders  on  September 
20,  1917,  forms  an  interesting  comparison  with  one  on 
December  1,  1918.  The  Camp  Hancock  list  on  the 
previous  date  follows ; 

Supply  Company — Captain  Archie  M.  Stivanson,  of  Oil  City. 
Machine  Gun  Company — Captain  Edgar  L.  Rhone,  of  Bradford. 
Sanitary  Detachment — Major  William  C.  Hogan,  of  Bradfo.rd. 
Company  A — Captain  Rasselas  W,  Brown,  of  Corry. 
Company  B — Captain  Harry  F.  Miller,  of  Meadville. 
Company  C — Captain  Frederick  P.  Schoonmaker,  of  Bradford. 
Company  D — Captain  James  M.  Henderson,  of  Oil  City. 
Company  E — Captain  Rueben  J.  Sharpe,  of  Kane. 
Company  F — Captain  David  L.  Sutherland,  of  Franklin. 
Company  G — Captain  Lucius  M.  Phelps,  of  Erie. 
Company  H — Captain  Charles  F.  Geary,  of  Ridgway. 
Company  I — Captain  William  Tribble,  of  Warren. 
Company  K — Captain  Daniel  H.  Core,  of  Kittanning. 
Company  L — Captain  Benjamin  R.  Williams,  of  Butler. 
Company  M — Captain  Fred  McCoy,  of  Grove  City. 


320  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

The  Headquarters  Company,  which  before  the  reor- 
ganization in  October,  1917,  consisted  only  of  a  band  of 
28  pieces  and  the  orderly  section,  was  in  command  of 
Captain  Shaw.  It  remained  for  Captain  Paul  E.  Zieg- 
ler,  fonnerly  in  command  of  Company  A,  of  the  old  8th 
Regiment,  York,  Pa.,  to  take  over  the  affairs  of  the 
growing  organization  of  300  and  some  odd  men  early  in 
1918  and  make  of  it  the  si^lendid  Headquarters  Com- 
pany that  it  was  during  and  after  the  war. 

The  reorganization  plan,  combining  the  old  8th  and 
16th  Regiments  of  Pennsylvania  during  October,  1917, 
at  Camp  Hancock,  brought  to  the  old  16th  (then  to  be 
known  in  history  thereafter  as  the  112th  United  States 
Infantry)  many  efficient  and  splendid  officers,  a  great 
number  of  whom  remained  with  the  organization  and 
took  part  in  the  campaigns  in  France. 

Among  the  8th  Regiment  officers  who  were  attached 
or  assigned  to  the  112th  dmnng  December,  1917,  were: 
Majors  George  B.  Corbin,  Lester  S.  Huber,  William  H. 
Baublitz;  Captains  Harry  H.  Baker,  William  A.  Kes- 
singer,  Ralph  C.  Crow,  Paul  E.  Ziegler,  Robert  H. 
Whetstone,  HaiTy  M.  Stine,  Abraham  Hinch,  John  T. 
Bretz,  Charles  H.  Hatfield,  John  M.  Rudy,  James  E. 
Burr,  Robert  D.  Jenkins,  Jerry  J.  Hartman  and  George 
G.  Heit.  In  addition,  there  wei*e  many  popular  First 
and  Second  Lieutenants  who  became  part  of  the  112th 
Regiment,  but  it  was  not  until  a  month  or  so  later  that 
most  of  them  were  given  definite  places  in  the 
organization. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  CASUALTY  LIST  321 

Of  the  8th  Regiment  Captains  named  above,  only 
three  crossed  the  Atlantic  as  members  of  the  112th.  They 
were  Captain  Paul  E.  Ziegler,  commanding  Headquar- 
ters Company;  Captain  John  T.  Bretz,  commanding 
Company  A;  Captain  Robert  D.  Jenkins,  commanding 
Company  I.  Others  were  discharged  or  transferred  be- 
fore the  final  organization  in  April,  1918,  and  the  prep- 
aration for  overseas  duty. 

Of  the  veteran  First  Lieutenants  who  accompanied 
the  112th  overseas,  the  name  of  John  G.  Wiestling  should 
not  be  omitted.  He  had  served  as  Battalion  Adjutant 
with  the  old  8th  Regiment,  and  on  joining  the  112th  was 
assigned  to  the  Headquarters  Company,  with  which 
organization  he  was  identified  throughout  the  war. 
When  the  time  came  for  the  regiment  to  return  to  the 
United  States,  he  was  the  senior  First  Lieutenant  of  the 
entire  regiment. 

The  112th  had  not  been  long  overseas  mitil  it  was 
evident  that  the  eight  months'  training  at  Camp  Han- 
cock had  been  productive  of  real  fruit ;  the  ofiicers  demon- 
strated in  their  every-day  work  that  they  were  not  mere 
men  in  uniform.  They  had  grijDped  the  essentials  of  the 
military  game,  had  learned  much  of  the  tactics  and  only 
needed  a  finishing  course  "  under  fire  "  to  prove  that 
their  patriotism,  their  training  and  their  ambitions  were 
true  to  the  core. 

No  finer  body  of  officers  ever  went  into  action,  facing 
an  enemy  that  threatened  to  overrun  France  and  seize 
Paris,  than  those  who  were  under  Colonel  Rickards'  com- 

21 


322  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

mand  when  the  memorable  July  4,  1918,  became  a  part 
of  histor}%  and  the  112th  hurried  to  the  front  to  stem 
a  German  advance  that  did  not  materiaHze,  though  it  had 
been  tlireatened. 

It  was  on  July  6th,  when  the  first  detail  of  the  112th 
was  engaged  at  Hill  204,  that  Second  Lieutenant  Her- 
man S.  Marshall,  of  Meadville,  who  had  earned  his  gold 
bar  the  previous  December,  distinguished  himself  in  ac- 
tion in  his  handling  of  the  trench  mortar  platoon.  When 
liis  men  coaxed  him  to  go  over  the  top  and  clean  out 
enemy  machine  gunners  he  was  the  first  to  make  the  dash, 
crying  to  his  enthusiastic  men  to  follow.  Lieutenant 
Marshall  later  in  the  game  was  promoted  to  First  Lieu- 
tenant and  during  October,  1918,  Avas  made  Captain,  a 
reward  for  faithful  services,  and  assigned  to  the  com- 
mand of  Company  K. 

In  the  same  action  at  Hill  204  Second  Lieutenant  Al- 
bert A.  L.  Young,  one  of  the  newer  officers  of  the  regi- 
ment, proved  his  ability  to  clean  out  Germans,  and  got 
rid  of  half  a  dozen,  although  severely  wounded  in  the 
arm.  It  was  part  of  the  game  of  war  that  a  few  days 
after  his  return  from  the  hospital  he  should  be  sent  to  the 
front  at  Fismes  and  Fismette  and  be  caught  in  the  Hun 
dash  in  the  latter  village  on  August  27th. 

The  first  112th  officer  to  be  killed  on  the  field  of 
battle  was  Second  Lieutenant  William  C.  Orr,  who  per- 
ished in  the  heavy  German  shellfire  of  July  15th  in  the 
district  south  of  the  Marne  River  and  to  the  north  of 
Fays  FaiTn  and  La  Chapelle. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  CASUALTY  LIST  323 

Within  the  next  ten  days  Captain  James  M.  Hender- 
son, of  Oil  Cit}%  beloved  commander  of  Company  D,  was 
blown  to  pieces  near  Vente  Jean  Guillaume,  to  the  east  of 
the  town  of  Epieds.  On  the  same  day,  but  in  a  different 
part  of  the  woods.  Second  Lieutenant  Harold  D.  Speak- 
man,  only  commissioned  while  the  regiment  was  at  Fays 
Farm,  was  caught  in  the  heavy  shellfire  and  fell,  dying, 
while  Captain  Phelps,  leading  his  battalion  in  a  gallant 
rush,  forged  ahead.  Major  Smathers  was  gassed  in  the 
same  action,  sent  to  a  hospital  at  Vichy,  France,  and  did 
not  again  join  the  regiment  until  late  in  August,  during 
the  second  tour  of  duty  at  Fismes. 

By  this  time  the  officer  personnel  of  the  regiment 
had  changed  greatly;  men  who  had  attended  the  Officer 
Candidates'  School  at  Camp  Hancock  had  been  commis- 
sioned and  were  taking  active  part  in  the  fighting. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  action  north  of  La  Chapelle,  Cap- 
tain Reuben  Sharpe  was  gassed  and  sent  to  a  hospital ;  he 
never  rejoined  the  regiment,  his  experience  as  a  post- 
office  manager  being  utilized  to  advantage  at  the  Central 
Postoffice  at  Tours  and  later  at  Toul,  France.  Captain 
Sutherland  had  long  since — from  June  9th,  in  fact — been 
at  an  Army  School  at  Langres,  later  to  be  given  an  im- 
portant post  on  the  general  staff  of  the  Seventh  Army 
Corps,  and  finally  assigned  to  G-4,  Third  Ai*my. 

Captain  Schoonmaker,  who  had  come  overseas  before 
the  regiment,  was  named  Assistant  Chief  of  Staff  of  the 
92d  Division;  Captain  Geary  had  been  discharged  from 
the  service  and  liis  post  was  filled  by  Captain  Hugh  R. 


324  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Doane,  famous  bayonet  instructor  of  Camp  Hancock 
training  days. 

Captain  Daniel  H.  Core  had  been  named  Personnel 
Officer,  in  charge  of  all  company  clerks  and  the  statistical 
section  of  the  regiment;  Captain  "  Ben  "  Williams  was 
assistant  judge  advocate  for  the  27th,  or  New  York 
National  Guard  Division,  and  Captain  Stivanson's 
place  had  been  taken  by  Captain  Ralph  D.  McLouth, 
then  (in  July,  1918)  the  Regimental  Supply  Officer. 

Major  Clyde  never  rejoined  the  regiment  from  the 
time  he  was  assigned  to  duty  in  March,  1918,  as  Assist- 
ant Inspector-General  of  the  division,  and  when  he  was 
sent  to  France  he  was  given  a  post  with  similar  duties, 
but  not  with  the  28th  Division. 

So  it  is  evident,  as  days  passed,  that  even  the  112th 
Regiment's  general  outline,  so  far  as  personnel  was  con- 
cerned, was  constantly  changing;  a  list  of  officers  made 
one  week  became  a  thing  quite  different  a  fortnight  after- 
ward; as  one  action  followed  another  those  who  were 
wounded  were  replaced  by  other  officers  in  the  regiment 
or  by  new  ones  then  assigned,  and  so  the  replacement 
process  was  ever  in  force. 

Too  much  cannot  be  said  of  the  work  done  by  three 
Captains — Miller,  Phelps  and  McCoy — in  charge  of  the 
1st,  2d  and  3d  Battalions,  respectively,  in  the  Fismes- 
Fismette  campaign.  Captain  Phelps  made  a  name  for 
himself  and  the  2d  Battalion  in  the  dash  to  the  Red  Cross 
Farm  while  the  regiment  was  holding  the  line  in  Vente 

r 

Jean  Guillaume  and  to  the  east  of  Epieds — two  days  of 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  CASUALTY  LIST  325 

real  hellfire  fighting,  with  welcome  relief  by  the  Rainbow, 
or  42d  Division.  And  in  the  trying  days  about  Fismes, 
Captain  Harry  F.  Miller,  of  Meadville,  proved  himself 
a  man  adapted  to  the  occasion ;  equal  praise  can  be  said 
of  Captain  Fred  ISIcCoy,  at  all  times  at  the  head  of  his 
command  and  leading  the  battalion  into  the  thick  of 
things  and  driving  the  Hun  back  at  the  same  time.  In 
these  three  Colonel  Rickards  surely  had  a  trio  of  Cap- 
tain-Majors on  whom  he  could  rely. 

They  did  equally  splendid  work  in  the  Argonne,  and 
Captain  Phelps  soon  was  wearing  a  ^Major's  leaf — and 
then,  in  a  few  weeks,  he  was  returned  to  the  U.  S.  A., 
to  become  an  instructor  at  Camp  Dix. 

Captain  Miller's  promotion  to  Major  came  to  him 
wliile  he  was  in  the  hospital,  following  the  severe  wounds 
he  received  on  Sunday,  November  10th. 

Captain  McCoy's  promotion  to  a  higher  grade  did 
not  come  until  months  later;  just  when  the  regiment  was 
packing  up  and  preparing  to  leave  the  billeting  area  west 
of  Colombey  les  Belles,  orders  came  through  28th  Divi- 
sion Headquarters  authorizing  him  to  wear  the  gold  leaf. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  Captain  Graff  and 
Captain  Smith  won  promotion  to  the  next  higher  grade 
tlirough  splendid  work  at  Chatel  Chehery.  Both  officers 
were  First  Lieutenants  when  they  went  overseas. 

In  no  other  campaign  of  the  war  in  which  the  112th 
participated  did  the  regiment  so  fully  demonstrate  its 
fighting  and  its  staying  qualities  as  in  the  Argonne  fight- 
ing.   It  was  a  battle  day  and  night  against  cleverly  con- 


326  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

cealed  machine  gun  nests,  a  battle  against  thick  and  al- 
most misurmomitable  midergrowth — but  somehow,  only 
the  officers  and  men  who  took  part  can  tell,  the  regiment 
forged  ahead,  and  despite  severe  counter-attacks,  suc- 
ceeded in  dominating  Chene  Tondu  and  in  brilliantly 
capturing  Chatel  Chehery,  two  military  feats  that  won 
division  and  corps  recognition  in  General  Orders. 

The  list  of  officers  who  were  killed  or  wounded  in  that 
thirteen-day  battle  has  already  been  given.  Behind  each 
fatality  or  wound  is  a  story  of  typical  American  grit; 
officers  went  into  the  line  with  doughboys  and  fought  in 
the  same  fashion ;  there  was  no  distinction — and  it  was  be- 
cause of  such  bravery  that  the  Argonne  to-day  stands  out 
from  the  American  history  in  France  as  one  of  the  truly 
magnificent  exploits  of  the  war. 

So  when  the  Argonne  battle  had  been  fought  and  the 
armistice  had  brought  to  an  end  the  patrol  days  on  the 
Thiaucourt  sector,  the  list  of  company  commanders 
hardly  resembled  that  of  Camp  Hancock  days.  Late  in 
November  it  looked  something  like  this : 

Company  A — First  Lieutenant  Wallace  W.  Wellman. 
Company  B — Captain  Robert  E.  Vaughan. 
Company  C — Captain  Roy  R.  Kriechbaum. 
Company  D — Captain  Cyrus  G.  Whitehill. 
Company  E — Captain  Harry  D,  McCluskey. 
Company  F — Captain  Joseph  P.  Connell. 
Company  G — First  Lieutenant  William  W.  Shatzer. 
Company  H — First  Lieutenant  John  L.  Heilman. 
Company  I — Captain  Robert  D.  Jenkins. 
Company  K — Captain  Herman  S.  Marshall. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  CASUALTY  LIST  327 

Company  L — Captain  James  F.  Leetch. 

Company  M — Captain  Fred  McCoy. 

Supply  Company — Captain  Ignatius  J.  Meenan. 

Sanitary  Detachment — Major  Francis  R.  Burke. 

Machine  Gun  Company — Captain  Edgar  L.  Rhone. 

Headquarters  Company — Captain  Paul  E.  Ziegler. 

First  Battalion — Major  Jolin  F.  GraiF,  Jr.;  First  Lieutenant 
William  B.  Murray,  Adjutant. 

Second  Battalion — Major  William  G.  Smith;  First  Lieutenant 
William  J.  Robinson,  Adjutant. 

Third  Battalion — Captain  Fred  McCoy,  acting  Major;  First 
Lieutenant  Howard  K.  Gibson,  Adjutant. 

Personnel  Officer — Captain  Daniel  H.  Core. 

Regimental  Gas  Officer — First  Lieutenant  James  H.  Holmes. 

Intelligence  Officer — Captain  S.  A.  Fenno. 

Operations  Officer — First  Lieutenant  Carl  R.  Freehafer. 

Captain  Whitehill,  of  Company  D,  was  only  a  Ser- 
geant when  he  went  to  Camp  Hancock  in  September, 
1917;  Captain  Meenan  had  been  assigned  to  the  Supply 
Company  when  Captain  McLouth  was  evacuated  to  a 
hospital  late  in  October,  1918;  and  Major  Francis  R. 
Bui'ke  had  been  with  the  Sanitary  Detachment  ever  since 
Major  Hogan  left,  during  the  first  tour  of  duty  at  Fismes 
and  Fismette. 

Lieutenants  Carl  R.  Freehafer  and  William  J.  Rob- 
inson were  promoted  to  Captains  several  months  later, 
and  the  latter  was  made  regimental  Intelligence  Officer, 
Captain  Fenno  having  left  the  regiment  late  in  Novem- 
ber for  a  staff  scliool  and  then  being  sent  to  the  United 
States.  In  December  First  I^ieutenant  John  D.  Dick- 
son became  regimental  Gas  Officer. 


328  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

With  the  return  of  the  officers  from  German  prison 
camps  during  the  Christmas  season,  Captain  Schmelzer 
was  assigned  to  command  Company  G,  and  Lieutenant 
Fredenbm'g,  who  was  soon  after  to  become  Captain,  took 
charge  of  his  old  organization,  Company  H.  First  Lieut. 
Phihp  C.  Burdick,  one  of  the  quietest  and  most  likable 
officers  in  the  regiment  and  one  of  the  most  efficient,  dur- 
ing the  course  of  days  resumed  his  post  as  Adjutant  of 
the  2d  Battalion.  Minor  changes  continued  to  be  made 
during  the  remainder  of  the  stay  in  France. 

No  histoiy  of  the  112th  Regiment's  officers  would  be 
complete  unless  the  story  and  the  name  of  each  one  asso- 
ciated with  the  regiment  during  the  period  in  the  front 
line  could  be  told.  But  there  were  many  changes,  many 
new  faces  and  incidents  were  so  numerous  that  no  at- 
tempt is  made  to  mention  all. 

Yet  through  all  those  strenuous  days  in  the  zone  of 
advance.  Colonel  George  C.  Rickards  was  the  guiding 
spirit.  When  he  was  at  Fort  Sam  Houston,  with  other 
infantry  Colonels,  from  January  to  April,  1918,  Lieut.- 
Colonel  Gamble  had  charge  of  the  regiment,  but  at  all 
times  in  France,  except  those  periods  when  he  was  acting 
Brigade  Commander  for  ten  days  or  two  weeks  every 
now  and  then  he  was  fighting  with  and  for  his  men. 
Though  fifty-eight  years  of  age,  a  birthday  he  celebrated 
in  a  dugout  near  Fismes  during  the  second  tour  of  duty 
for  the  112th  in  that  sector,  he  endured  the  hardships  of 
hiking  at  all  hours,  marches  through  the  rain  and  cold 
and  exposure  to  real  war. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  CASUALTY  LIST  329 

If  ever  an  officer  led  his  men  into  battle  with  higher 
principles  and  a  greater  resolve  than  Colonel  Rickards, 
the  records  do  not  show  it;  thoughts  for  the  welfare  and 
comfort  of  his  men  were  always  uppermost  in  his  mind, 
no  matter  what  the  occasion.  He  never  knew  fear,  and 
during  the  first  days  of  the  Argonne  fighting  exposed 
himself — ofttimes  needlessly,  officer  friends  assert — to 
Hun  machine  gun  snipers. 

In  the  Thiaucourt  sector  the  112th  patrols,  arranged 
and  planned  by  him  personally,  reflected  great  credit  on 
his  ability  as  an  organizer  and  tactician — qualities, 
though,  which  had  long  before  that  been  generally  recog- 
nized. The  part  that  the  regiment  played  in  the  Fismes 
fight,  taking  over  a,  whole  brigade  sector  and  making  a 
better  record  than  even  the  brigade  did,  is  also  part  of  his 
fine  military  record  overseas. 

His  is  a  record  of  more  than  forty  years  in  the  mili- 
tary service.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  on  June  9,  1877,  in 
the  Venango  Grays,  which  later  became  the  16th  Penn- 
sylvania Infantiy.  As  a  member  of  Company  F,  he 
was  promoted  to  corporal  February  2,  1880;  to  first  ser- 
geant on  August  1,  1881,  and  commissioned  as  Second 
Lieutenant  October  21, 1881.  His  promotion  continued, 
and  on  July  21,  1883,  he  was  made  Captain  of  Company 
F,  and  when  he  removed  to  Oil  Citv  a  few  vears  later  he 
was  made  Captain  of  Company  D,  November  15,  1888. 
He  was  commissioned  Major  on  August  11,  1891,  and 
Lieut.-Colonel  ^N'ovember  29, 1892.  Besides  being  under 
fire  in  the  ser\^ice  as  a  National  Guardsman,  Colonel 


330  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Rickards  was  in  the  service  during  the  Spanish- American 
War.  He  was  mustered  in  as  Lieut.-Colonel  of  the  16th 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers  on  May  10,  1898,  and  was 
commissioned  Colonel  on  October  24th  that  year,  serv- 
ing until  being  mustered  out  on  December  28, 1898.  Re- 
turning then  to  the  Pennsylvania  National  Guard,  he 
resumed  his  commission  as  Lieut.-Colonel  until  1907, 
when  he  was  promoted  to  the  higher  gi-ade,  and  from  that 
time  on,  during  his  service  in  the  National  Guard,  on  the 
Mexican  border,  June  26,  1916,  to  January  17,  1917;  at 
Camp  Hancock  and  throughout  the  World  War  he  was 
Colonel  Rickards. 

Had  it  been  the  policy  of  the  War  Department  to 
recognize  ability  in  the  National  Guard  instead  of  look- 
ing to  the  Regular  Army  for  promising  material,  there 
is  no  question  but  that  Colonel  Rickards,  having  proved 
his  efficiency  in  the  early  days  in  the  Southland  and  in 
France,  would  have  been  given  a  higher  grade. 

"And  while,"  he  said  one  day  to  a  group  of  officers  at 
Buxieres,  France,  "  my  friends  may  think  I  regret  not 
having  been  given  a  star  as  Brigadier  General  in  this 
war,  I  am  well  satisfied  to  return  to  my  home  in  God's 
country,  with  the  respect  of  the  people  back  there,  know- 
ing that  I  have  at  least  done  the  average  man's  part  in 
the  war." 

He  meant  every  word  of  it,  and  six  months  afterward, 
when  he  came  home  with  the  boys  of  the  112th,  the  home- 
folk  demonstrated  beyond  expectations  the  love  and  re- 
gard they  held  for  the  man  who  had  guided  the  destinies 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  CASUALTY  LIST  331 

of  the  outfit  "over  there,"  caring  for  the  men  in  the  ranks 
as  though  each  were  his  son  and  fulfilhng  a  promise  to 
that  effect  which  he  had  made  before  starting  overseas. 

It  may  be  said  of  Colonel  Rickards  that  he  never 
asked  an  officer  or  an  enlisted  man  to  go  any  place  that 
he  would  not  go  himself. 

It  is  a  foregone  conclusion  that  it  was  his  ability  and 
guiding  hand  which  brought  honor  and  recognition  to 
the  112th  Infantry;  the  man  in  the  ranks  looked  upon 
him  as  more  than  a  mere  officer.  Rickards  was  a  man  at 
all  times — square,  honest,  upright  and  courageous  to 
a  fault. 

In  furnishing  a  resume  of  what  his  Regiment  ac- 
complished in  France,  many  details  must  be  omitted  for 
sake  of  space. 

A  partial  list  of  the  material  captured  includes :  Five 
77  German  field  pieces ;  eight  anti-tank  guns ;  one  Ger- 
man tank;  55  heavy  and  163  light  JNIaxim  machine  guns; 
1500  German  gas  masks;  numerous  rifles,  steel  helmets 
and  hundreds  of  German  shells;  three  trench  mortars; 
two  mimienwerfers ;  a  German  hospital  with  an  estimated 
value  of  $10,000  and  much  property  of  which  no  record 
was  kept. 

The  War  Department  officially  credits  the  28th  Divi- 
sion with  making  a  battle-front  advance  of  ten  kilo- 
meters. The  112th  and  other  units  of  the  Division  made 
gains  of  that  distance  in  the  Marne  and  Om'cq  actions 
alone ;  while  the  ground  taken  in  the  Argonne  was  equal 
to  the  grand  total  given  out  by  the  War  Department. 


332  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

General  Mangin,  in  his  commendation  of  July  30th, 
addressed  to  the  28th  Division,  makes  this  statement: 

"  91  guns,  7200  prisoners,  immense  booty,  ten  kilo- 
meters of  country  reconquered ;  this  is  your  portion  of  the 
spoil  of  this  victoiy,"  referring  to  the  thnist  beginning 
July  18th. 

Prisoners  captured  at  Fismes  and  Fismette  totaled 
one  officer  and  60  men;  Germans  taken  in  the  Argonne 
by  the  112th,  estimated  at  more  than  400;  while  in  the 
Thiaucourt  action,  three  officers  and  more  than  150 
enemy  soldiers  were  taken  captive. 

As  for  liiking  through  France — and  the  doughboy 
hiked  by  night  and  fought  by  day,  much  of  the  time — 
a  total  distance  of  375  kilometers  was  covered  by  the 
youngsters  who  wore  those  heavy  hobnail  brogans  and 
participated  in  every  march.  Tliis  includes  only  the  kilo- 
meters covered  up  to  the  signing  of  the  armistice  and  the 
march  from  the  front  line  to  positions  in  the  "rest  area  " 
at  Buxieres  and  the  German  hillside  barracks,  where 
Thanksgiving  and  Christmas  were  to  be  spent  quietly 
and  with  but  one  thought : 

That  the  departure  for  the  old  U.  S.  A.  might  not 
be  long  delayed. 


PART  THREE 

AFTER  THE  ARMISTICE 

LISTLESS  DAYS  AT  BUXIERES  AND  IN  THE  MEUSE 
VALLEY— LE  MANS,  ST.  NAZAIRE  AND  MUSTER- 
OUT  AT  CAMP  DIX. 

PERIOD  FROM  NOVEMBER  12,  19I8,  TO  MAY  6,  IQIP 


CHAPTER  XVIIl 

HOLIDAYS  THAT  BROUGHT  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME 

A  Remarkable  Hallowe'en  Party  at  Pannes — Dreary, 
Rainy  Days  at  Buxi^res — Bringing  Christmas  Cheer 
to  French  Kiddies — Mont  Sec  and  Its  Wonderful 
Tunnels — Rumors    That     Changed    Over    Night. 

Just  because  this  little  volume  has  been  a  record  of 
what  happened  on  the  line  or  because  it  has  told  now  and 
then  with  perhaps  more  than  necessary  detail  the  shifting 
of  troops,  don't  imagine  that  the  doughboy  didn't  get 
joy  out  of  life. 

The  doughboy  did.  He  was  the  happiest  man  in  the 
world  while  the  war  was  on,  and  when  the  war  ended  the 
transition  from  the  noise  of  the  firing  line  and  a  certain 
indescribable  freedom  to  the  monotonous  routine  of  train- 
ing days  was  too  much  for  him.  When  one  rumor  after 
another  fell  flat,  blue  days  stared  at  him;  yet  he  never 
lost  that  cheerful  spirit. 

To  indicate  his  attitude  during  the  closing  days  of 
the  war ;  to  show  how  he  felt  on  Thanksgiving ;  in  making 
plain  what  his  desires  were  on  Christmas  Day  and  how 
hopefully  he  looked  forward  to  a  joyous  New  Year,  the 
following  stories,  written  at  that  time  and  sent  home, 
are  reproduced.  They  are  given,  not  because  they  are 
unusual  stories,  but  merely  to  show  his  attitude  at  the 
time. 

SS5 


S36  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Up  the  Line  in  France, 

November  1. 

The  most  remarkable  Hallowe'en  party  ever  held 
within  range  of  the  German  guns  was  held  in  a  deserted 
French  mansion  on  the  Rue  Rainbow  in  the  to^vn  of 
[Pannes]  last  night.  A  ten-piece  orchestra,  the  hits  of 
Broadway  a  year  ago  and  France  to-day,  songs  that 
brought  back  memories  of  pre-trench  days  and  encour- 
aged thoughts  of  what  we'll  do  after  the  war ;  pumpkin 
and  prune  pies,  home-made  candy,  coifee  as  only  the 
doughboys  can  sei've  it — these  were  the  high  spots  of 
a  remarkable  evening,  a  night  crowded  with  the  best 
things  the  112th  orchestra  could  offer  and  an  occasion 
that  sm-passed  any  other  so  far  as  the  culinary  as- 
pect was  concerned. 

The  doughboys  want  to  make  it  plain  that  it  was  held 
at  "  Pat "  Doyle's  French  mansion — but  the  house,  in 
fact,  which  has  been  a  home  of  luxury  for  a  dozen  of  the 
lads  for  the  past  twelve  days,  in  reality  belongs  to  one 
as  much  as  to  the  other;  and  when  the  orchestra  came, 
with  instrmnents,  traps  and  trappings,  and  Hontz  ar- 
rived on  the  scene  with  his  pies  and  pastry,  and  Evan 
Holmes  stalked  in  with  plates  full  of  home-made  candy 
— the  kind  that  has  made  many  a  Hallowe'en  in  the  good 
old  U.  S.  A.  famous — well  say,  boys!  The  doughboys 
who  were  honor  guests  at  this  party  were  happy — happy 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  long-range  German  guns,  lo- 
cated somewhere  over  there  in  the  Bois  de  Beney  were 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  337 

banging  away,  scattering  shots  around  the  hills  and  in 
th«  outer  section  of  the  town. 

And  up  here  in  the  mansion  the  orchestra  was  playing 
"  Ireland  IMust  Be  Heaven  "  while  the  Germans  tried  to 
make  it  hell.  Classic  hits  of  other  days — naming  them 
only  adds  to  the  keenness  of  the  delight  these  doughboys 
enjoyed — were  on  that  remarkable  program.  The  even- 
ing opened  with  "  In  San  Domingo,"  followed  by 
*'  Down  Honolulu  Way,"  and  then  the  orchestra  struck 
up  "  Sweet  Little  Buttercup."  Candles  flickered  from 
the  hastily  constructed  chandelier  and  old  worn-out  rugs, 
hung  up  at  the  windows  to  screen  the  light  from  watchful 
Hun  aeroplanes,  added  a  luxuriant  aspect  to  the  scene. 
Old  King  Louis  XVI  in  the  rosiest  days  couldn't  have 
experienced  more  real  delight  than  these  boys,  who  lis- 
tened to  lilting  swinging  notes  of  "  Sweet  Little  Butter- 
cup " — and  each  fellow  secretly  wished  that  his  best  girl 
might  be  on  the  spot  at  just  that  particular  time. 

The  evening  went  speedily.  Fatima  cigarettes,  MeTa- 
chrinos  and  Lucky  Strikes  curled  upward  in  smoke  as  one 
selection  after  another  signaled  the  passing  of  a  remark- 
able occasion.  "  My  Sweetie,"  "  Teach  Me  to  Smile," 
"  How's  Every  Little  Thing  in  Dixie  " — bringing  back 
memories  of  good  old  Camp  Hancock  days  and  those 
carefree  moments  back  home — vied  wdth  "  Mr.  Jazz 
Himself,"  "Parisian  Maxixe,"  "Liberty  Bell"  and 
famous  old  "  Joan  of  Arc  "  for  a  place  in  the  spotlight. 
Then  the  orchestra  swung  into  more  thought-producing, 
memory-inviting,  tantahzing  whirlwind  dance  numbers 


338  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

— "  Wasn't  It  Yesterday,"  "  The  Pennsylvania  Volun- 
teers "  and  even  "  Some  Sunday  Morning."  Each 
seemed  better  than  its  predecessor,  and  the  fast-accumu- 
lating enthusiasm  of  the  doughboys  hardly  knew  any 
bounds. 

During  those  famous  old  training  days  at  Hancock, 
vrhen  the  boys  double-timed  it  out  to  the  drill  field,  the 
112th  Band  blared  and  blazed  away  with  "  Some  Sunday 
^lorning  " — and  so  there  was  more  than  passing  interest 
in  the  playing  of  this  particular  number.  "  Underneath 
the  Stars  "  (and  it  was  a  starry  night  outside  at  that), 
"  Kangaroo  Hop  "  and,  characteristically,  "  Over  the 
Top  "  brought  the  musical  program  to  a  successful  con- 
clusion. It  was  only  8.15  then,  but  the  orchestra  had  been 
playing  away  for  two  solid  hours,  feasting  on  the  appre- 
ciative applause  and  encouragement  of  delighted  lis- 
teners. They  could  be  described  as  "  spectators,"  too; 
for  the  fellows  were  looking  on  the  bright  side  of  the  war 
game,  enjoying  to  the  fullest  one  of  the  most  superb 
programs  the  112th  orchestra  had  ever  conceived,  and  at 
the  same  time  trying  to  realize,  with  carpet  under  their 
feet,  a  piano  from  a  German  theatre  in  the  corner  and 
real  cigarette  and  cigar  smoke  forming  a  sub-stratum  in 
mid-air — well,  boy,  it  was  the  greatest  thing  ever  pulled 
off,  the  honor  guests  agree,  within  shell-range  of  the 
German  Berthas  or  Minnies — or  whatever  type  of 
Krupp  rifle  is  hidden  in  the  straggly  woods  "  up  the  line." 
And  the  "  line,"  by  the  way,  is  not  so  far  away  as  many 
might  suspect. 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  339 

And  the  splendid  part  of  it  was,  when  the  musical 
program  was  over,  that  an  equally  enjoyable  occasion 
was  to  follow;  the  pies  that  Roy  Hontz,  of  Lansford, 
Pa.,  had  worked  all  day  to  bring  and  bake  to  the  point  of 
perfection ;  the  candy  that  Evan  Holmes  had  made  and 
which  officers,  in  to  take  a  peek  at  the  party,  thought  was 
worthy  of  a  bribe;  not  to  speak  of  more  cigars,  more 
cigarettes,  coffee  in  abundance  and  cakes,  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
issued  and  home-made. 

Furnishing  the  music  of  the  evening  was  this  orches- 
tra, which  gladly  donated  its  services  in  lieu  of  the  "feed" 
that  they  had  surmised  might  follow :  Donald  W.  Cam- 
eron, of  Kittanning,  pianist;  John  W.  Surra,  of  Brad- 
ford, flute;  John  Yorke,  of  Oil  City,  clarinet;  Gran- 
ville Lane,  of  Oil  City,  French  horn ;  Coulter  Hoffman, 
of  Franklin,  trombone;  Daniel  J.  Isles,  of  Waterford, 
N.  Y.,  cornet;  Silvan  Hilliard,  of  Oil  City,  saxophone; 
Major  Olmes,  of  Oil  City,  violin;  James  Mitchell,  of  Oil 
City,  cornet ;  Ralph  Van  Wye,  assistant  band  leader,'  of 
Niles,  Ohio,  flute. 

When  the  musical  part  of  the  evening's  program  had 
come  to  a  conclusion  and  the  officers  had  vanished,  the 
doughboys  brought  out  their  *'  feed  " — and  for  the  next 
hour  and  a  half  the  real  joy  of  the  evening  reigned.  Par- 
ticipating in  the  repast  were  some  of  the  notables  of  the 
rear  echelon — the  temporary  untitled  "  counts  "  of  the 
French  mansion: 

J.  Fred  Dojde,  Headquarters  Company,  of  Hunt- 
ingdon; Ernest  H.  Mudgett  and  Emanuel  Barnett,  of 


340  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Gloversville,  N".  Y.;  John  O.  Shearer,  Headquarters 
Company,  of  Hershey;  John  D.  Davis,  Company  B,  of 
Lansford;  Gerald  A.  Snyder,  Company  C,  of  Bradford; 
Evan  E.  Holmes,  Company  B,  of  Mead-vdlle;  Roy  W. 
Hontz,  Company  B,  of  Lansford  ;David  B.Drolsbaugh, 
Headquarters  Company,  of  Huntingdon;  George  F. 
Fidler,  Headquarters  Company,  of  Reading;  Earl 
Baker,  Company  F,  of  Huntingdon;  William  F.  Um- 
benhauer,  Headquarters  Company,  of  Port  Carbon; 
Miles  Earley,  of  Hummelstown;  James  A.  Murrin,  on 
duty  at  the  advance  P.  C.  up  the  line,  but  who  happened 
to  be  "  taking  things  easy  "  in  the  little  town  for  a  day 
or  two.  Harry  D.  Shriver,  Headquarters  Company, 
of  Harrisburg,  who  is  Colonel  Rickards'  owti  chauf- 
feur, was  there  for  part  of  the  festivities,  duty  calling 
him  elsewhere — "  somewhere  in  France  " — for  part  of 
the  night. 

No  bombs  dropped  from  Hun  aeroplanes,  no  shells 
fired  from  menacing  guns,  not  an  untoward  incident,  not 
even  a  trifling  accident  marred  the  passing  of  this  last 
day  of  October  "  up  the  line  "  for  these  happy  dough- 
boys. A  few  had  seen  and  experienced  the  joys  of  Aix 
les  teains,  but  most  of  them  had  grown  hardened  to  the 
fighting  game  through  days  and  nights  of  hiking,  thi-ough 
actual  participation  in  it,  through  doing  the  "  heavy 
part "  of  the  struggle  "  over  here  " — and  in  these  mo- 
ments of  relaxation  they  found  the  real  delight,  dough- 
boy-made and  doughboy-enjoyed. 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  S41 

When  the  day  comes  to  move  to  another  sector,  when 
the  word  comes  to  take  up  a  new  place  in  the  line,  when 
these  same  fellows  sling  packs,  shoulder  rifles  and  march 
on,  'they  will  still  have  memories  of  the  Hallowe'en  spent 
on  the  Rue  Rainbow  in  the  town  of  [Pannes],  up  the  line 
"  somewhere  in  France."  There  have  been  many  happy 
moments  of  relaxation,  sometimes  far  apart  to  be  sure 
— but  it  only  takes  such  an  occasion  as  that  on  October 
31st  to  prove  that  the  doughboy  is  still  persistently  cheer- 
ful, contentedly  hopeful  and,  withal,  the  thorough  soldier 
that  a  loving  home  folk  has  often  pictured  him — fun- 
loving,  grateful  to  a  fault  and  hard-working  to  a  point 
of  exhaustion. 

Memories  of  old  Rue  Rainbow  and  the  great  French 
mansion,  known  as  Doyle's  above-ground  dugout,  may 
they  grow  richer  with  the  passing  months  and  years. 

During  the  latter  part  of  October  the  28th  Division 
was  given  the  privilege  of  sending  small  groups  of  men 
from  each  company  on  leave,  and  the  first  three  parties, 
starting  from  the  front  line  at  intervals  of  a  few  days, 
went  to  Aix  les  Bains.  The  third  party  to  that  popular 
resort  left  early  on  the  morning  of  November  2d,  and  so 
it  was  my  luck  to  be  far  to  the  rear  on  the  closing  days 
of  the  war — to  participate  in  the  premature  but  wildly 
enthusiastic  peace  parade  of  November  7th,  and  to  take 
part  again  in  the  more  solenm  festivities  of  the  11th.  So 
the  following  letter  is  self-explanatory : 


342  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Aix  LEs  Bains,  November  11. 

It's  all  over  at  last — the  amiistice  is  signed,  and  there 
is  not  a  question  in  anyone's  mind — especially  in  the 
A.  E.  F. — but  that  the  suspension  of  hostilities,  the  abdi- 
cation of  the  Kaiser,  the  new  German  government  and 
the  whole  change  of  atmosphere  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Rhine  ushers  in  that  brightest  day  of  all,  for  which 
we  have  fought  and  to  which  a  nation  has  earnestly 
looked  forward. 

Dreams  have  almost  come  true ;  but  it  will  not  be  so 
very  long,  let  us  hope,  until  we  fellows  will  be  marching 
over  streets  grown  familiar  in  other  days.  We  heard  of 
the  abdication  of  the  Kaiser  through  papers  printed  at 
Grenoble  and  Geneva  (Switzerland)  on  Sunday;  to-day 
at  11  o'clock,  just  when  the  city  was  at  its  prettiest  in  the 
glow  of  a  warm  fall  sun,  a  telegram  brought  word  that 
the  armistice  had  been  signed. 

Truly  it  is  a  great  day.  An  hour  later  the  flags  of 
the  Allies  were  being  flung  to  the  breeze  in  every  corner 
of  the  town,  the  Tri-Color  naturally  predominating. 
This  afternoon  there  is  to  be  a  parade,  the  entire  French 
civil  population  and  the  American  doughboys  partici- 
pating. We  were  scheduled  to  go  back  on  the  train  at 
3  P.M.,  but  our  cars  have  not  arrived — and  so,  with  the 
assurance  of  not  leaving  until  to-morrow  at  the  earliest — 
we  fellows  will  be  into  the  celebration  more  than  ever. 

It  seems  almost  too  good  to  be  true.  No  matter  how 
many  days  may  elapse  before  we  start  homeward,  we 
have  that  feeling  of  freedom  from  shellfire ;  we  know  we 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  343 

can  sleep  at  nights ;  know  that  no  Hun  bombing  planes 
are  coming — realize  that  we  can  live  Camp  Hancock  war 
days  over  again — this  time  in  the  war  zone  of  France  (or 
Germany) — for  I  would  not  be  surprised  that  we  fellows 
would  be  called  upon  to  do  our  share  of  holding  Alsace 
and  Lorraine  and  the  Rhine  valley.  Perhaps  some  of 
these  days,  when  I  do  get  back  up  the  line,  I  shall  start 
'my  letter,  "  Somewhere  in  Germany  " — and  that  is  not 
a  matter  out  of  the  range  of  possibility.  Then  the  little 
French  and  the  little  German  we  know  will  be  worked 
overtime;  and  we  will  work  and  do  our  bit  from  day  to 
day,  ever  speculating  when  we  shall  be  back  in  the 
U.  S.  A. 

I  still  cling  to  the  opinion  that  the  23d  of  April  will 
see  us  on  our  way — that  not  later  than  Memorial  Day  we 
shall  be  back  in  the  old  town.  How  good  and  rich  and 
precious  does  life  seem  to  us  now;  how  full  the  future 
is  of  possibilities ;  how  hopeful  have  all  the  boys  been  and 
how  doubly  hopeful,  and  most  grateful,  they  are  to-day. 

All  nature  knows,  too,  that  the  war  is  over,  for  this  is 
the  most  beautiful  November  day  I  have  ever  seen— 
bright,  cheerful,  warm.  They  say  this  is  St.  Martin's 
weather — ^no  matter  what  it  is,  little  else  does  it  remind  us 
of  than  our  Indian  summer. 

Of  course,  there  will  be  work  to  be  done  and  lots  of 
it;  there  will  be  hikes  and  marches,  and  innumerable 
twists  to  the  military  game — but  what  a  great  relief  to 
know  that  the  day  has  passed  when  machine  guns  and 
shrapnel  can  maim  and  slay  your  own  conu'ades.     To 


344  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

me  that  is  the  most  beautiful  feature  of  it  all;  to  know 
that  those  of  us  who  have  played  the  game  hard  and  lived, 
lived  only  by  the  grace  of  God — may  look  forward  to 
seeing  old  New  York  harbor,  some  day  not  far  distant. 

I  am  glad  that  we  could  be  in  Aix  this  time;  to  re- 
joice with  the  French  in  the  success  of  the  Allied  arms. 
It  will  not  be  hard  to  remember  this  trip — how  we  hap- 
pened to  be  here  when  the  armistice  was  signed;  how  we 
cheered  and  sang  along  with  the  rest;  to  us  the  Tri-Color 
and  "  The  Marseillaise  "  are  fast  growing  to  be  our  com- 
rades.   They  have  grown  familiar,  day  by  day. 

The  parade  was  typically  American,  with  plenty  of 
the  Fran^aise  element.  From  "  Hail,  Hail  the  Gang's 
all  Here  "  to  '*  Over  There,"  "  The  Marseillaise  "  and 
others,  the  selections  the  doughboys  sang  ran  a  wide 
gamut.  There  was  no  distinct  line;  American  soldiers, 
French  officers  and  poilus  and  the  civil  population  gath- 
ered and  clustered  in  front  of  the  historic  city  hall, 
cheered  the  Allied  national  anthems,  and  then  moved  off 
more  "  en  masse  "  than  in  parade  formation. 

The  American  band  stationed  at  Aix  headed  the 
swarming  column,  and  as  the  procession  moved,  flags  and 
colors  bobbed  up  and  fluttered — new  cheers  arose.  It 
is  evident  this  is  to  be  a  real  night  of  celebration  and  some 
of  the  doughboys  are  already  tuning  up. 

Electric  lights,  used  in  moderation  here,  are  lavishly 
aglow.  The  big  state  bath  establishment  looks  more  like 
an  exposition  building  in  its  splendor  of  light  than  an 
ordinary  structure. 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  345 

The  night  is  perfect,  a  faultless  blue  sky,  a  fine  moon 
and  the  atmosphere  is  so  clear  the  mountains  are  easily 
discernible.  All  natm'e  knows  a  world  has  been  praying 
for  j  ust  such  a  day. 

Tlie  most-heard  remark  as  the  parade  passed  was 
typical:  "  I'd  like  to  be  in  New  York  to-night  to  see  the 
celebration  there." 

But  it  cannot  be  many  months  until  the  celebration 
of  all  celebrations  will  come,  and  a  whole  brave  nation 
over  there  will  have  a  chance  to  know  that  we  are  glad 
to  be  home  again.  "  Glad  "  is  such  a  weak  word,  for  the 
going  home  will  be  that  far-off  event  of  which  we  thought 
much  and  feared  at  the  same  time,  the  fortunes  of  war 
might  prevent  our  seeing. 

And  now,  we  probably  will  leave  to-morrow  on  the 
train.  I  just  wanted  to  pen  this  little  note  to  describe 
simply  an  epochal  event  here.  I  have  seen  much  of  Aix, 
and  of  that  I  will  tell  you  in  detail  later. 

Homer  Rhodeheaver  was  here  for  two  days  and  made 
a  wonderful  impression  with  his  personality  and  songs. 
So  far  as  travels  are  concerned,  I  visited  the  Abbaye,  in- 
volving a  boat  trip ;  hiked  to  Chambotte,  a  gi'eat  moun- 
tain; was  up  ;Mt.  Revard;  have  taken  three  sulphur  baths 
— ^great  stuff! — and  have  hiked  many  places. 

Then  I  have  seen  my  share  of  movies  here,  seen  good 
vaudeville,  have  eaten  a  dish  of  real  ice  cream  (price  40 
cents)  ;  and — well,  that  is  about  all.  I  know  much 
mail  will  be  there  when  I  get  back  and  I  am  anxious  to 
get  it. 


346  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Several  days  later  the  112th  boys  on  leave  had  re- 
joined the  regiment,  then  in  Buxieres  and  the  adjoining 
hills;  learned  that  the  rumors  were  divided  between  the 
42d  and  28th  Divisions  parading  in  Washington  on 
Christmas  Day,  and  a  start  into  Germany,  a  long  ten- 
day  hike  which  the  widely  spread  report  declared  would 
begin  Monday,  November  18th. 

The  112th  Infantry  was  in  the  Buxieres  area  from 
the  night  of  November  12th  until  early  in  the  new  year, 
when  on  January  6th  the  doughboys  hit  the  dirt  road  for 
a  long  southward  march  for  points  then  unknown.  But 
Buxieres  was  a  rumor  factory,  due  principally  to  the  fact 
that  it  was  not  decided  for  some  time  just  what  organiza- 
tions were  to  go  into  the  Army  of  Occupation  or  the  A. 
of  O.  reserve;  even  as  late  as  the  week  before  Christmas 
it  was  reported  that  the  regiment  might  move  into  the 
Conflans  area,  as  a  step  on  the  way  to  Luxemburg. 

So  on  the  life  that  was  lived  out  in  the  broken  houses 
and  in  the  crowded  German  barracks  amid  the  mud  and 
the  rain  and  the  most  desolate  coimtry,  it  seemed,  on 
the  face  of  the  globe,  these  little  notes  to  follow  shed 
some  light. 

Night,  November  15. 

Just  as  we  were  at  supper  at  4.15  this  afternoon  400 
Italian,  Russian  and  French  prisoners,  just  released  by 
the  Germans,  marched  through.  Very  few  were  in  uni- 
form; most  of  them  wore  ragged  and  ill-kept  clothes; 
they  looked  tired  and  weary  at  heart.  They  weren't 
singing  "  Hail,  Hail,  the  Gang's  All  Here  " — though  I 


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HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  347 

believe  at  heart  the  most  of  them  were  the  happiest  crea- 
tm*es  on  earth.  Their  appearance  spoke  greater  than 
words  of  the  treatment  they  had  received  and  it  was 
clearly  evident  from  the  total  absence  of  stout  men  that 
Germany's  rations  had  not  been  as  liberal  as  ours. 

Four  hundred  men!  There  was  a  stoiy  hidden  in 
each  fellow's  heart  that  would  wake  up  the  world,  no 
doubt.  The  long  line  just  trudged  along,  in  charge  of 
several  American  soldiers;  the  men  were  going  to  the 
rear.  The  sun  had  set  and  the  day  was  fast  ending.  But 
for  them  the  sun  was  just  coming  over  the  horizon  of 
brighter  to-morrows. 

A  Little  Town  in  France, 

November  19. 

I  suppose  within  a  very  short  while,  instead  of  putting 
on  the  time-honored  heading,  "  Somewhere  in  France," 
"  A  Little  Town  in  France,"  or  "  A  Sector  in  the  Lines," 
we  will  be  able  to  tell  you  where  we  are.  The  British 
soldiers  are  already  doing  that,  and  perhaps  it  is  merely 
a  matter  of  a  few  days  until  we  fellows  will  get  the  word 
that  it  can  be  done.  To-day's  paper  even  announces  the 
units  which  are  entering  Gennany  as  representatives  of 
the  American  Army  of  Occupation.  We  fellows  aren't 
in  the  Army  of  Occupation,  though  a  week  ago  at  this 
time  there  were  persistent  rumors  that  we  might  be.  We 
are  just  a  few  kilos  removed  from  what  had  been  om* 
old  lines. 

To-day  word  came  do^vn  indicating  to  us  more  than 


S48  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

ever  that  the  war  is  over.  Gas  masks  will  no  longer  be 
carried,  but  *'  will  be  inspected  once  each  week,"  the 
memorandum  said.  It  also  added,  "  Special  attention 
will  be  devoted  to  completing  individual  equipment  and 
providing  adequate  clothing  for  the  men."  Another  part 
said  that  the  line  would  no  longer  be  held — that  French 
civilians,  returning  to  their  homes  in  this  area,  should 
have  the  privilege  of  removing  barbed  wire  obstacles, 
occupying  trenches  formerly  held  by  American  soldiers 
— all  so  that  agriculture  might  be  given  attention. 

Judging  from  the  fuss  they  are  making  about  clean- 
ing up  the  little  towns  and  the  country  in  general,  salvag- 
ing property  and  getting  things  into  spick-and-span 
shape,  we  youngsters  are  to  have  the  job  of  cleaning  up 
France — after  having  cleaned  up  the  Germans.  The 
boys  in  the  different  units  of  the  outfit  went  out  to  drill, 
as  usual,  to-da}%  only  to  be  summoned  and  told  to  go  on 
detail  and  "  police  "  (or  clean  up)  the  area  within  a  mile 
radius  of  their  station.  So  they  are  scouring  the  hills, 
woods  and  fields,  and  billets  this  afternoon,  gathering  up 
the  rubbish  and  putting  it  in  piles,  so  that  it  can  be  hauled 
away.  Salvaged  property  is  also  being  gathered  in,  and 
will  be  taken  to  prescribed  depots.  As  Colonel  Rickards 
remarked,  "  We  are  cleaning  up  the  country  now." 

The  big  supply  of  mail  which  arrived  during  the  early 
part  of  last  week  has  all  been  read,  and  now  we  are 
looking  forward  to  the  receipt  of  more  letters ;  to-night  or 
to-morrow  ought  to  be  big  days  for  us — one  good  mail 
a  week  is  the  rule  in  the  army.    I  have  found  a  little  time 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  349 

to  myself  late  in  the  evening,  and  so  have  read  some  of 
the  Collier's  and  Digests  which  accumulated  during  my 
absence  at  Aix  les  Bains.  It  seems  so  long  ago  since  I 
took  that  trip,  as  so  much  work  has  intervened  since  then. 
We  are  getting  along  swimmingly,  however.  Day  in  and 
day  out,  the  talk  is :  "  I  wonder  when  we  are  going  home." 
They  are  the  border  loimors  all  over  again — only  they 
get  on  your  nerves,  repeated  and  reiterated  a  thousand 
times.  But  it  shows  which  way  the  wind  is  blowing — that 
the  fellows'  thoughts  are  all  on  getting  back  to  New 
York,  and  then  to  their  individual  homes. 

There  is  one  feature  I  do  not  believe  I  have  written 
about.  When  the  war  game  was  at  its  heaviest  in  the 
Argonne,  Company  F  was  left  with  but  one  officer — an 
officer  who  has  been  in  the  game  every  day  of  the  scrap 
from  Fismes  to  up  the  line  in  the  Woevre.  That  was 
First  Lieutenant  Ross  Thompson.  I  have  talked  with 
fellows  who  were  through  tlie  rough  stuff  of  the  Argonne 
fighting  with  him ;  no  Lieutenant  demonstrated  his  fight- 
ing qualities  better — and  the  men  to-day  love  him  the 
more  for  that.  "  There  isn't  one  of  us  who  wouldn't 
go  through  hell  for  Thompson,"  one  fellow  told  me, 
"  after  the  way  he  stuck  to  us  and  saw  it  through  up  there 
in  the  Argonne."  Played  out  as  many  other  officers 
were,  fighting  on  doggedly  from  day  to  day  without  sleep 
and  oftentimes  with  little  or  nothing  to  eat,  he  kept  the 
game  going  and  the  spirits  of  his  company  at  high  tide. 

At  noon  to-day,  for  want  of  thirtj^  minutes'  exercise, 
I  climbed  the  hill  which  lies  back  of  this  chateau  and  from 


350  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

the  top  I  had  a  clear  view  of  the  great  plain  which 
stretches  for  five  or  six  miles,  and  perhaps  farther,  to 
the  horizon.  There  is  only  one  hill  in  this  great  stretch 
of  level  land,  while  innumerable  villages,  each  with  its 
battered  church  spire  or  tower  in  the  center,  are  easily 
discernible.  They  all  have  a  deserted  appearance, 
even  in  the  midst  of  gradually  increasing  activity  in 
this  section. 

The  top  of  the  hill  was  nothing  more  than  a  great 
plateau,  with  a  splendid  white  pine  forest  that  evidently 
did  much  to  camouflage  the  activities  of  the  Germans 
who  held  it.  Even  the  narrow-gauge  railroad,  which 
seems  to  feed  every  artery  of  traffic  around  this  sector, 
found  its  way  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  there  was  an 
abandoned  planing  mill  there  as  well  as  a  number  of 
buildings.  In  addition,  there  were  two  German  tanks — 
constructed  of  bamboo  and  painted  to  resemble  the  "  real 
thing."  Evidently  they  were  for  use  in  engagements 
where  the  Germans  thought  they  could  try  the  camou- 
flage game  and  get  away  with  it.  The  "  tanks  "  were 
somewhat  battered,  but  still  had  the  semblance  of  what 
they  were  made  to  represent. 

Our  rest  has  come  at  last — the  "  rest "  for  which  we 
were  hoping  in  the  days  up  the  line  is  now  here.  At  least, 
that  is  the  only  interpretation  we  can  place  on  the  clean- 
ing-up-France  program  and  the  additional  one  of  watch- 
ful waiting  which  we  are  now  facing.  To  me  it  looks  like 
a  long  wait,  despite  the  many  rumors  to  the  contrary, 
until  we  set  sail  for  "  over  there  "  and  get  back  into  the 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  35 

activities  of  old.  It  is  altogether  possible,  some  say,  that 
we  may  go  farther  south,  and  there  train  dm'ing  the  win- 
ter months.  No  matter  where  they  take  us,  we  will  be 
playing  the  soldier  for  quite  awhile ;  of  that  we  feel  quite 
certain.  Winter  clothes  have  been  issued,  and  every  man 
now  has  two  blankets,  and  these,  plus  an  overcoat,  pro- 
vide a  fair  degree  of  warmth. 

We  are  still  billeted  in  this  once  handsome  chateau, 
and  we  bunk  in  the  third  story,  using  German  mattresses 
to  make  the  floor  a  good  bed. 

A  Little  Town  in  Feance, 

November  23. 
The  sun  is  shining  just  as  it  has  been  for  nearly  four- 
teen days,  and  the  fine  winter  weather  we  have  been  en- 
joying in  this  section  of  France  continues.  There  is 
usually  a  heavy  frost  in  the  morning,  and  when  we  hustle 
down  to  breakfast  at  QA5  it  needs  no  urging  for  us  to 
keep  on  the  move.  For  some  miknown  reason,  the  usual 
morning  offering  of  rice,  bacon,  bread  and  coffee  was 
about  an  hour  late  to-day,  and  we  stood  outside,  hopping 
aromid  on  one  foot  and  then  the  other  and  flinging  our 
arms  as  best  we  could,  in  order  to  stimulate  warmth. 
Finall}^  we  did  eat;  but  it  was  after  8  o'clock  then.  Gen- 
erally speaking,  things  are  going  O.  K.,  but  there  is 
enough  work  to  remind  us  every  minute  of  the  day  and 
throughout  the  evening  that  the  army  still  moves. 

Our  horses  have  all  been  tiu-ned  in,  and  we  can  place 
but  one  interpretation  on  that:  Either  we  are  going  to 


352  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

move  by  truck  or  rail  some  of  these  days  or  else  we  will 
remain  in  this  war-torn  village  for  the  winter.  Ninety 
per  cent,  of  us  expect  a  movement  within  the  coming 
week,  and  are  inclined  to  the  first  belief.  Some  officers 
are  confident  that  February  will  see  us  back  in  the  States. 
I  shall  be  satisfied  if  April  sees  us  there,  and  we  all 
feel  confident  that  we  will  be  back  into  the  game  of 
civilian  life  not  later  than  [Memorial  Day,  no  matter 
what  happens. 

The  band  moved  into  this  little  town  this  morning, 
coming  from  over  the  hill  some  six  kilos.  For  the  past  two 
weeks  they  have  been  in  old  German  barracks  there ;  now 
they  are  housed  in  some  of  the  half -wrecked  buildings  of 
this  little  place,  but  quarters  are  much  nicer — and  then, 
too,  it  seems  good,  so  far  as  we  are  concerned,  to  have  the 
band  here.  The  band  is  surely  the  big  element  of  cheer 
in  the  army,  and  even  the  morning  rehearsals  prove 
attractive;  and  whenever  the  opportunity  permits,  some 
of  us  drop  in  to  hear  the  best  they  have  to  offer.  Three 
of  the  musicians  are  away,  however,  being  at  Band  School 
at  Chaumont:  Chief  Musician  Roy  Miller,  Assistant 
Band  Leader  Ralph  Van  Wye  and  Musician  Harland 
Mitchell.  We  miss  these  fellows  and  are  hoping  they 
will  be  back  with  us  soon. 

The  band  was  down  here  the  other  evening,  to  give 
a  concert  for  the  benefit  of  the  school  of  a  thousand  sol- 
diers in  charge  of  Lieut.-Colonel  Joseph  Thompson. 
Naturally,  it  created  a  big  hit,  and  demonstrated  to  the 
fellows  who  come  from  other  infantry  outfits  than  the 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  S53 

1 12th  that  we  have  a  band  of  which  we  may  well  be  proud. 

The  first  regimental  parade  that  has  been  held  since 
we  were  at  Tremblay  is  being  staged  this  afternoon  not 
far  from  this  town.  Our  famous  old  colors  are  flying 
again,  and  Color  Sergeant  John  R.  Kahle,  who  has  been 
away  for  more  than  a  month  getting  new  glasses  and 
who  retm'ned  to  duty  yesterday,  is  on  the  job,  carrying- 
Old  Glory.  Another  acting  Color  Sergeant  is  taking 
Miles  Shoup's  place  while  he  is  awaj'"  at  school. 

It  surely  seemed  good  to  see  John  Kahle  back  with  the 
old  outfit,  and  when  he  came  in  yesterday  he  got  a  warm 
greeting  from  the  boys.  It  had  been  rumored  that  he  had 
started  back  to  the  States,  but  his  appearance  in  person 
gave  the  lie  to  that  report — although  he  was  out  of  luck 
for  mail,  which  had  been  forwarded  to  the  hospital  at 
Toul.  He  told  us  of  seeing  a  German  observer  drop 
15,000  feet  in  a  parachute  the  day  before  the  war  ended. 
The  German  aviator  was  killed  by  anti-aircraft  guns,  and 
when  the  plane  was  shattered  the  observer  had  suflScient 
presence  of  mind  to  leap  from  the  macliine  and  take  his 
chances  with  the  parachute.    He  landed  safely. 

The  first  ten  days  at  Buxieres  saw  many  of  the  gaps 
filled  in  the  regiment;  for  the  first  time  since  leaving 
Camp  Hancock  the  outfit  was  given  a  full  quota  of 
officers;  many  of  those  with  the  Illinois  and  New  York 
Guard  Divisions,  as  well  as  those  who  had  received  com- 
missions at  Army  Candidates'  School  at  Langres,  re- 
ported for  duty  and  were  assigned  to  fine  companies. 

23 


354  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

There  were  days  in  the  Argonne  fighting  when  a  Ser- 
geant commanded  a  company  and  a  Second  or  First 
Lieutenant  had  charge  of  a  battahon,  and  officers  were 
being  "  expended,"  to  use  an  army  term,  every  minute; 
now,  with  the  war  over,  we  were  getting  the  semblance  of 
a  regiment  approaching  real  strength. 

In  addition,  131  non-commissioned  officers  were  sent 
to  the  regiment  and  assigned  to  companies;  men  who 
had  looked  for  promotion  after  the  action  at  the  front 
did  not  rehsh  tlie  idea  of  seeing  new  men  deprive  them 
of  their  chance  of  advancement,  but  after  the  first  few 
days  an  adjustment  was  made  that  at  least  temporarily 
proved  satisfactory. 

A  school,  representative  of  all  the  organizations  of 
the  28th  Division,  had  been  established  in  Buxieres,  with 
a  thousand  students;  these  men  attended  the  school  for 
six  days  and  then  another  group,  selected  from  the  in- 
fantry regiments  and  engineers,  took  their  place.  In 
other  words,  it  was  a  specialists'  school.  Lieut.-Colonel 
Joseph  Thompson,  of  the  28th  Division — the  famous  Joe 
Thompson,  coach  of  the  University  of  Pitt  football  team 
in  days  gone  by — was  placed  in  charge,  with  Captain 
Joseph  P.  Connell  as  Adjutant;  and  Company  L,  of  the 
112th  Regiment,  was  given  the  big  job  of  feeding  those 
thousand  men  three  times  a  day  and  looking  after  the 
billeting  in  the  little  town. 

In  addition,  the  Supply  Company  and  Regimental 
Headquarters,  and  later  the  Headquarters  Company, 
became  residents  of  Buxieres,  and  so  1500  or  more  sol- 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  355 

diers  were  crowded  into  a  French  village  which  did  not 
boast  a  third  of  that  number  in  its  palmiest  days. 

Training  camp  discipline,  so  different  from  that 
which  is  in  force  up  the  line,  was  tightening;  the  "  red 
tape  "  of  paper  work  was  again  in  evidence,  and  minor 
deficiencies  were  magnified  into  inexcusable  faults — to 
be  remedied  "  at  once  and  prompt  report  made  to  these 
Headquarters."  That  convinced  us  that  the  war  was 
over.  Men  who  were  shy  of  equipment  were  "  checked 
up,"  and  so  far  as  supplies  permitted,  were  outfitted. 

In  addition,  special  details  of  men  were  selected  from 
each  company  to  attend  gas,  infantry,  machine  gun  and 
specialist  schools  elsewhere  in  France,  and  day  to  day 
departed,  via  Woinville,  en  route  to  Toul  and  Langres 
and  other  centers. 

But  the  most  welcome  news  of  all  that  came  about 
this  time,  on  Sunday,  November  24th,  was  that  concern- 
ing the  hfting  of  the  censorship  restrictions  which  up 
until  that  time  had  smothered  all  attempts  at  giving  loca- 
tion of  units  in  France.  Now  it  was  permissible  to  tell 
where  the  regiment  had  been,  where  it  was  now  stationed, 
and  to  speculate,  in  typical  doughboy  fashion,  on  where 
it  might  or  might  not  be  within  the  next  two  weeks  or  so. 
In  other  words,  all  the  freedom  in  the  world  was  given  to 
the  man  who  wanted  to  write  "  the  folks  "  in  what  bat- 
tles he  had  taken  part,  how  many  days  the  outfit  was  at 
Fismes,  what  the  "  hell  of  it "  was  like  in  the  Argonne 
and  how  it  felt  to  take  part  in  a  jimip-ofF,  as  well  as  give 
the  hour  and  date  and  location  of  the  push. 


356  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

The  '*  Fathers'  Christmas  Letter  "  idea  was  given  a 
big  boost  at  this  time,  not  only  by  The  Stars  and  Stripes, 
official  paper  of  the  doughboys  in  France,  but  by  memo- 
randum from  the  Division  Headquarters,  encouraging 
all  men  to  write  dad  a  cheery  Christmas  letter,  assuring 
that  it  would  be  delivered  post  haste,  by  special  delivery, 
once  it  had  reached  the  home  town. 

Then  came  Thanksgiving,  with  its  sunshine  of  early 
morning  and  its  downpour  of  late  afternoon  and  the  most 
miserable  night  in  many  days,  with  roads  ankle-deep  in 
mud.  Men  kept  close  to  their  billets  and  dreamed  of 
days  to  come ;  thankful  that  the  war  was  over. 

BuxiERES,  France,  November  28, 1918. 
The  copy  of  Life  that  you  sent  me,  among  the  other 
magazines  which  have  come  in  the  recent  mail,  has  this 
remarkable  poem : 

These  are  the  things  our  lads  shall  bring  from  France : 
A  clearer  sight;  a  knowledge  strange  and  new 
Of  human  souls  revealed  to  common  view ; 

A  spirit  wakened  by  deliverance 

From  motives  small  and  mean;  a  wider  chance 

For  those  once  held  repressed  and  hampered  through 
Outworn  conditions;  and  fair  dreams  come  true 

For  high  hearts  tried  and  proved  by  circumstance. 

A  miracle  has  touched  our  humdrum  days 

With  holiness;  a  flame  that  naught  may  quench 
Has  quickened  eager  youth  with  strength  that  would 

Spend  endlessly  in  sacrificial  days ; 

And  there  shall  rise  from  battlefield  and  trench 
A  new  race  bred  of  love  and  brotherhood. 

— [Charlotte  Becker,  in  Life. 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  S57 

Truly,  those  are  the  things  the  boys  will  bring  back — 
those  fellows  of  the  good  old  112th  who  have  been 
through  the  hellfire  of  it  all,  have  seen  its  grim  features, 
have  felt  war's  wounds,  have  seen  its  sickening  sights, 
who  have  trudged  day  in  and  out,  with  backs  grown 
weary  and  packs  so  heavy  that  "  the  last  long  mile  " 
seemed  ten  times  as  long  as  it  really  was. 

For  the  boys  who  have  been  through  shell  and  ma- 
chine gun  fire,  who  have  lived  in  the  gopher  holes  and 
dugouts  and  trenches  of  the  line,  who  have  endured  rain, 
cold,  hunger  and  hardships  of  battle,  with  rare  fortitude 
— these  are  the  boys  who  are  coming  back  to  the  good 
old  U.  S.  A. — God's  countr>^  they  call  it  now — not 
mere  boys  or  striplings,  but  real  men  who  have  been 
through  the  crucible. 

More  than  mei-e  prose  can  tell,  these  lines  in  Char- 
lotte Becker's  poem  describe  the  inner  man  of  the  dough- 
boy w^io  has  fought  his  way  to  the  front  and  bested  the 
finest  soldiers  Germany  could  throw  into  the  affray 
against  him.  Only  boys  who  were  patriotic  to  the  core, 
whose  patriotism  they  were  willing  to  pay  with  the  sacri- 
fice of  their  own  lives  that  a  world  might  live,  could  catch 
the  vision  that  the  112th  has  seen.  The  appreciation  of 
life  and  its  uncertainty,  the  full  value  of  service  to  the 
fellow  who  slept  in  the  trench  with  you,  the  brotherhood 
of  man  to  man — it  took  a  war  up  in  the  barbed  wire  con- 
fines of  No  Man's  Land,  in  the  pitiless  weird  glare  of 
Very  lights  and  flares,  of  bursting  shrapnel  and  machine 
gun  bullets,  to  emphasize  to  the  world  for  all  time  that 


358  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

the  fellows  who  braved  such  ordeals  have  seen  something 
more  than  the  humdrmn  of  life. 

Those  days  on  the  lines  none  of  the  boys  will  ever 
forget.  What  they  have  gone  through  is  in  itself  a  whole 
story,  what  they  did  for  humanity's  sake  and  for  the  honor 
of  their  regiment  resolves  itself  into  endless  chapters ;  the 
fullest  story  will  never  be  told,  for  each  man's  heart  is  a 
book  of  experiences;  each  soldier  of  the  old  outfit  who 
has  been  through  the  hell  of  it  saw  it  from  a  different 
angle ;  but  each  man,  no  matter  whether  he  was  a  cook, 
kitchen  police,  nmner,  clerk,  rifleman,  grenadier,  or  au- 
tomatic expert,  was  "  THERE."  Every  last  one  of 
them  was  on  the  line  when  the  big  pushes  were  in  prog- 
ress, each  doing  his  part,  and  the  first  impressions  of  the 
war  game,  brought  into  relief  in  all  their  horror  and 
weird  fascination  during  the  push  through  Chateau- 
Thieriy,  gi-ew  in  number  as  the  campaigns  progressed. 

"  A  new  race  bred  of  brotherhood  and  love  "  is  the  one 
the  people  of  western  Pennsylvania  will  see  when  the 
112th  boys  and  the  rest  of  the  28th  Division  come  march- 
ing home  some  of  these  days.  These  war-made  men  of 
the  battlefields  of  France,  fellows  with  stripes  showing 
wounds  in  action  and  months  in  service  overseas — you'll 
see  for  yourselves  they  are  different  lads  than  the  ones 
who  marched  away  one  memorable  September  8,  1917, 
en  route  to  a  training  camp  at  Augusta,  Ga.,  on  the  first 
lap  of  this  trip  to  France. 

Though  the  war  is  over,  they  are  still  playing  the 
game,  training  as  hard  as  dmung  those  eight  months  in 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  359 

Georgia,  the  experience  of  actual  conflict  proving  an  in- 
valuable help.  But  even  if  they  are  still  playing  at  the 
war  game,  they  know  and  realize  that  it  is  only  a  ques- 
tion of  marking  time  until  the  word  comes  that  the  ships 
for  the  112th  are  ready,  and  that  the  whole  28th  Division 
can  plan  with  certainty  on  going  back  to  the  best  land 
on  earth.  Hallowed  thoughts  of  days  on  the  line,  visions 
of  the  Statue  of  Liberty,  the  last  note  from  home — how 
precious  all  these  things  have  been  in  the  life  of  each  sol- 
dier ;  how  infinitely  near  to  the  Guardian  of  all  the  world 
has  every  doughboy  felt  at  one  time  or  another,  and 
under  shellfire  they  have  all  prayed  the  same  prayer — 
that  his  part,  no  matter  what  the  cost,  might  help  swing 
the  balance  toward  the  victor}^  now  achieved. 

Time  can  never  erase  some  of  the  memories  of  the 
trenches  and  dugouts,  of  the  woods  and  undergrowth 
through  which  our  fellows  went;  they  have  left  an  in- 
delible impression;  and  when  each  doughboy  tells  his 
stor}^  he  may  omit  some  of  the  truths,  but  in  his  heart 
he  knows  each  fact  and  figure,  he  knows  the  miles  that 
were  made  in  the  Stygian  darkness  of  nights  in  French 
woodlands ;  he  knows  how  he  plodded  through  the  mud ; 
and  he  knows,  too,  of  the  long  nights  without  end  in  the 
front-line  trench.  And  now  with  the  dugout  chapter 
closed  and  trenches  giving  way  to  farm  lands  in  this  sec- 
tion, even  with  December  weather  coming  on,  how  thank- 
ful these  fellows  are — your  hoys  in  the  112th  on  this 
Thanksgiving  Day. 


360  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

God  in  His  goodness  has  watched  over  the  outfit,  and 
though  some  have  made  the  supreme  sacrifice,  others  he 
in  hospitals,  convalescing  from  wounds,  the  boys  who  are 
here  in  this  little  town  of  Buxieres  feel  deeply  thankful; 
they  want  the  folks  at  home  to  know,  too,  how  grateful 
they  are  for  all  that  their  loved  ones  have  done.  Life 
and  all  it  holds  for  us  has  been  made  infinitely  precious 
through  participation  in  the  world's  greatest  war. 

BuxiiRES,  Meuse,  December  1. 

With  three  square  meals  a  day,  tliree  blankets  and 
a  heavy  winter  overcoat  to  make  a  comfortable  bed  at 
night,  and  with  waterprooof  slickers,  the  doughboys  are 
well  taken  care  of  from  day  to  day,  and  so  they  now  face 
a  winter  in  France  which  holds  none  of  the  terrors  of  a 
winter  in  the  front  line. 

It  is  no  secret  that  the  fellows  who  went  through  the 
heavy  shellfire  at  Fismes  and  the  Argonne  and  endured 
long  nights  of  patrolling  in  the  Woevre  feared  a  damp, 
cold  winter  in  the  trenches  more  than  the  worst  type  of 
fh'e  that  the  Huns  could  offer.  And  so,  when  Christmas 
comes,  they  will  have  cause  to  be  thankful;  just  as  they 
were  thankful  on  Thanksgi\ang,  even  though  the  day 
was  one  of  the  most  miserable. 

There  were  the  three  square  meals  that  day,  as  usual, 
but  many  a  fellow  dreamed  of  the  fireside  at  home  and 
wished  he  was  sinking  his  teeth  into  turkey  rather  than 
sipping  the  soup  and  eating  the  boiled  meat  on  the  menu 
for  the  day.    Then,  too,  the  rain  helped  in  the  unpleasant- 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  361 

ness,  and  the  roads  in  Buxieres  and  vicinity  were  ankle- 
deep  with  mud. 

But  doughboys  can  be  happy  under  any  circum- 
stances, and  around  the  fires  and  dim  candlehght  in  the 
billets  that  night  they  celebrated  in  memory  of  victories 
won,  and  for  hopes,  cherished  day  to  day,  that  not  so 
many  months  may  inten^ene,  but  that  the  early  part  of 
summer  will  see  the  good  old  outfit,  every  last  man  and 
officer  of  the  112th,  safe  and  happy  in  his  o^vn  home  to"v\Ti. 

Dm-ing  the  early  part  of  December  the  regiment 
gained  a  new  recruit  in  the  person  of  Andre  Burard,  a 
French  orphan,  sixteen  years  old.  He  became  homeless 
during  the  latter  part  of  1914  when  the  German  hordes 
swept  down  from  the  north  over  Chateau-Thierry.  He 
and  a  little  friend,  both  of  them  thirteen,  were  gathering 
wood  some  800  yards  from  their  home  when  they  saw 
the  Germans  coming.  There  had  been  rumors  that  the 
Huns  were  on  the  way,  but  none  of  the  French  people 
thought  they  were  so  near.  Tlie  father,  fighting  at  the 
front,  had  been  killed;  his  mother,  subjected  to  the  at- 
tacks of  these  creatures  who  knew  no  law  of  decency, 
was  then  murdered ;  his  little  brother  was  hanged  and  his 
sister,  with  her  hands  severed  at  the  wrist,  also  dropped 
dead,  while  another  brother  was  carried  off  into  captivity. 

Andre  liimself  and  the  other  boy  ran  to  the  protecting 
shelter  of  the  French  artillery  positions,  and  when  the 
Germans  were  driven  back  in  a  temporary  gain  by  the 


362  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

French,  Andre  then  learned  how  the  family  had  been 
wiped  out — murdered  and  butchered. 

From  then  on  until  he  hopped  aboard  a  returning 
leave  train  from  La  Bour  Boul,  climbing  on  at  Dijon, 
he  had  been  eating  and  sleeping  with  the  Allied  armies. 
For  more  than  a  year  he  had  been  with  the  French ;  for 
seven  months  he  had  been  with  the  Americans ;  then  be- 
tween times  he  had  worked  in  the  glass  factories  at  Dijon, 
making  as  much  as  15  francs  a  day. 

Making  fast  friends  with  the  band  boys,  he  cast  his 
lot  with  them;  he  bunked,  marched  and  ate  with  them, 
and,  boylike,  he  wasn't  long  in  learning  American  slang 
and  American  ways. 

At  reveille  one  morning,  as  the  band  marched  into 
position  and  started  playing  the  morning  march,  Andre 
trailed  into  the  rear  line,  took  his  post  and  stood  firm  as 
any  soldier. 

"  A^Hio's  the  new  man  in  the  band?  "  inquired  Captain 
Paul  E.  Ziegler,  in  all  seriousness. 

"  That's  Andre  Burard,  the  little  French  orphan," 
one  of  the  boys  replied,  and  then  Andre,  stepping  to  the 
front,  saluted  with  all  the  solemnity  and  soldierly  bearing 
of  many  days  spent  in  the  army  game. 

Andre  remained  with  the  regiment  until  the  word 
came  in  March  of  the  new  year  that  the  112th  was 
to  depart  for  the  seacoast.  Then  he  said  good-bye, 
with  a  tell-tale  lump  in  the  throat,  and  started  off 
to  Dijon  again. 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  363 

With  the  112th  Infantry, 

BuxiEREs,  December  9. 

Facing-  the  possibility  of  an  early  movement  from  this 
area,  if  present  rumors  mean  anything,  scores  of  dough- 
boys plowed  through  mud  and  an  intermittent  drizzhng 
rain  Sunday  afternoon  to  see  Mont  Sec — the  tunneled 
wonder  that  the  Gemians  were  able  to  hold  against  re- 
peated attacks  until  the  Yanks  swept  everything  before 
them  in  three  victorious  days  last  September.  It  is  east- 
ward three  miles  from  here. 

Mont  Sec,  rising  out  of  the  Woevre  plain  like  an  is- 
land in  a  great  stretching  ocean  of  brown,  has  more  man- 
made  passage-ways, concrete  dugouts, machine  gun  nests, 
carefully  concealed  billets  and  houses  underground  than 
any  single  hill  or  district  which  the  boys  of  the  112th  have 
yet  seen.  At  the  foot  of  the  great  liill  lies  the  devastated, 
ghastly  looking  town  of  Mont  Sec.  It  was  a  to^vn  once 
upon  a  time;  to-day  there  are  few  walls  and  only  the 
church  tower  and  its  old  clock  remaining  above  ground ; 
the  rest  is  a  shambles,  a  level  heap  of  brick  and  plaster, 
with  hundreds  of  shellholes  made  by  H.  E's  to  indicate 
something  of  the  terrific  bombardment  to  which  both 
town  and  hill  were  subjected. 

As  the  doughboy  winds  liis  way  up  the  road,  crosses 
the  nan-ow-gauge  railway  with  its  American- run,  Bald- 
win-made "  dinkey  "  engines  getting  up  steam  at  the 
"  engine  house,"  he  finds  to  his  right  a  long  line  of  artil- 
lery positions,  grass  and  ground  covered,  but  havhig 
roofs  of  concrete  two  feet  thick.    Then  there  are  anunu- 


864  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

nition  pits,  concrete  lined  and  roofed,  and  so  arranged 
that  they  can  be  flooded  or  destroyed  in  a  moment — but 
the  Germans  left  so  hurriedly  that  only  a  few  are  filled 
with  water,  while  the  others  bear  American  signs  of 
warning — "  Danger,  Keep  Out." 

Two  hundred  yards  farther  on,  and  the  liill  is  reached. 
Concrete  kitchens,  long  tunnels  going  underground,  with 
bunks  on  either  side  of  the  passage-way;  officers'  quar- 
ters splendidly  and  comfortably  arranged — in  other 
words,  a  veritable  hotel  under  gi-ound,  and  practically 
safe  from  shellfire  unless  a  big  6-  or  8-inch  was  to  make 
a  direct  hit.  Be  it  said  to  the  credit  of  Yankee  gunners, 
there  were  a  number  of  direct  liits  made,  and  if  any  Ger- 
mans happened  to  be  left  at  the  time  the  shelling  was 
going  on,  they  are  buried  under  the  debris,  and  need  no 
other  grave. 

The  town  of  Mont  Sec  commands  a  splendid  view  of 
the  sweeping  Woevre  plain,  and  lying  at  the  foot  of 
the  little  mountain  itself,  it  was  easily  a  good  target  for 
Allied  gunners.  The  chm'ch  tower,  rising  above  the  ruins 
like  a  great  monument  to  a  village  that  once  was  and 
sheltering  the  score  of  civilian  graves  behind  one  of  its 
walls,  is  the  most  prominent  feature  of  the  little  place. 

All  sides  of  the  mountain  are  shell-pitted  and  tunnel- 
dug.  Half  way  up  alley-ways  or  tunnels,  ^\ath  board 
floors,  walls  and  almost  water-proof  ceilings,  lead  300  to 
400  feet  into  the  heart  of  it,  and  then  tall  ladders  lead  up 
the  shafts  to  the  machine  gunners'  seats.  There  are 
dozens  of  these  tunnels,  and  an  equal  number  of  machine 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  S65 

gun  nests,  some  of  which  have  been  hard  hit  by  shellfire 
and  aero  bombs. 

The  whole  mountain  presents  a  veritable  series  of  tun- 
nels and  for  that  reason  reminds  one  of  Mammoth  Cave 
in  Kentucky.  How  thoroughly  the  Germans  did  their 
work  is  seen  in  the  stovepipes  that  act  as  airshaf ts ;  in  the 
solid  manner  in  which  the  bunk  rooms  and  officers'  quar- 
ters are  constructed.  Anti-aircraft  gun  emplacements, 
well  concealed  and  yet  commanding  a  sweeping  view  of 
the  sky  and  horizon,  are  all  about  the  hill,  but  the  gims,  of 
course,  have  long  since  gone.  On  the  western  slope  are 
two  thoroughfares,  or  officers'  streets,  where  the  head- 
quarters was  located,  and  in  one  rather  elaborately  built 
wooden  building  is  said  to  be  the  room  in  which  the  Crown 
Prince  stayed  when  he  visited  the  front.  It  is  trimmed 
in  blue,  and  though  devoid  of  its  furnishing  now,  it  needs 
no  imagination  to  prove  that  the  Germans  who  lived  in 
the  quarters  there  lived  well. 

Brick  walls,  duckboard  steps  and  duck  walks  are  all 
about  the  western  side  of  the  mountain;  evidently,  until 
the  Americans  came,  it  was  not  under  such  heav\^  shell- 
fire,  for  the  shell  holes  and  bomb  damage  seem  confined 
for  the  most  part  to  the  eastern  face  and  tlie  simimit. 
From  a  rickety  flagpole  that  still  stands  at  the  highest 
point  the  white  flag  flies — placed  there,  undoubtedly,  by 
some  of  the  first  Yanks  who  swept  through  the  district 
after  the  first  dash  in  the  St.  Mihiel  salient  in  September. 

Many  of  the  main  passage-ways  leading  into  Mont 
Sec  are  lined  with  stone,  and  above  the  entrance  is  a  stone 


366  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

arch,  in  the  center  of  wliich  is  the  German  cross.  Graves, 
buildings  and  archways,  everything  that  the  Hun  built  in 
the  war  zone,  have  been  embellished  with  this  iron  cross. 
At  the  foot  of  the  western  slope  three  GeiTaan  graves, 
with  substantial  tombstones  of  German  carvings,  attract 
the  passing  doughboy;  shells  have  knocked  two  of  the 
stones  over  and  another  shell  has  swept  a  Prussian  eagle 
from  its  feet  and  it  lies  sprawling  and  broken — ^as  it  does 
in  Germany  to-day — over  the  ground  where  oui'  o^vn 
boys  rushed  not  many  months  ago. 

Tunneled  mountains,  hidden  machine  gun  nests,  intri- 
cate passage-ways,  concrete-protected  artillery  emplace- 
ments and  the  ever-present  barbed  wire ;  all  these  things, 
interesting  and  apparently  formidable  as  they  have 
been,  could  not  stop  the  onrush  of  a  mighty  force,  backed 
by  and  fighting  with  the  morale  of  the  American  army. 

So  Mont  Sec,  once  the  terror  of  the  French  armies 
and  the  stronghold  of  the  Crown  Prince's  picked  Prus- 
sians, lies  like  a  plaything  and  a  muddy  amusement  park 
to-day — and  the  doughboys  who  are  still  playing  the 
game  in  France  are  its  visitors. 

It  was  during  the  period  of  rest  and  training  at  Bux- 
ieres,  with  the  regiment  being  reorganized,  with  new 
officers  being  sent  to  it,  with  ranks  filled  with  replace- 
ments and  men  from  hospitals  being  returned  to  their 
own  companies,  that  two  new  field  officers  were  given  a 
berth  in  the  organization.  They  were  Lieut.-Colonel 
Paul  Tucker,  formerly  of  the  35th  Division,  who  took 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  367 

up  his  duties  as  second  in  command  on  December  17th, 
and  Major  E.  Hammond  Johnson,  a  Southerner,  for- 
merly of  the  82d  Division,  who  arrived  five  days  after- 
ward and  was  assigned  to  the  3d  Battalion.  Both  officers 
remained  with  the  regiment  until  March  16th,  when  they 
were  ordered  to  the  Officers'  Replacement  Depot  at 
Goussaincourt,  after  the  112th  had  said  good-bye  to 
the  Buxieres  area  and  had  been  located  along  the 
INIeuse  near  Traveron,  Sauvigny  and  Pagny  for  two 
long  months. 

Christmas  found  the  doughboys  at  Buxieres,  and  the 
accounts  written  at  that  time  convey  the  spirit  of  the  day 
better  than  any  narrative  written  months  afterward. 
They  can  tell  their  own  story : 

With  the  112th  Infantry, 
Buxieres,  Deckmber  25. 

"  Peace  on  earth,  good  will  toward  men  "  to-day 
reigned  in  the  war  zone  for  the  first  time  in  four  years. 

Out  of  the  trenches  and  living  in  billets,  American 
soldiers  in  the  little  towns  in  the  Woevre  region  and  more 
particularly  in  the  Thiaucourt  sector  enjoyed  this  Clirist- 
mas  Day  to  the  fullest. 

The  weather,  the  officers  of  the  A.  E.  F.,  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  and  the  soldiers  themselves  played  a  prominent 
part  in  the  program. 

Christmas  carols,  played  by  the  112th  Infantry  Band 
during  the  early  hours  of  Cliristmas  morning,  from  mid- 
night to  4  o'clock,  brought  the  glad  tidings  to  sleeping 


868  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

doughboys,  and  added  a  little  bit  of  heaven  to  a  land  so 
accustomed  to  the  ravages  of  war. 

At  3  in  the  afternoon,  while  no  turkeys  were  obtain- 
able, the  soldiers  in  Buxieres  and  vicinity  surely  enjoyed 
one  of  the  most  substantial  repasts  any  crew  of  energetic 
cooks  could  produce,  and  to-night,  in  the  little  shell-bat- 
tered school  house  34  French  kiddies  who  have  lived  in 
Buxieres  throughout  the  period  of  German  occupation 
were  made  happy  for  the  first  time. 

America  played  Santa  Claus  to  France — and  the 
weather  man,  seeming  to  realize  that  an  miusual  event 
was  being  staged,  on  Christmas  eve  placed  a  coverlet  of 
snow  on  streets,  roofs,  hillsides  and  pine  forests,  and 
throughout  Clu'istmas  Day  snowflakes  fell  at  intervals. 

The  menu  which  the  Headquarters  Company  pro- 
vided for  its  300  men  ran  thus : 

Baked  1400  honest- to-goodness  doughnuts. 

Steak,  par  excellence,  with  "  beaucoup  "  gravy. 

Bread,  with  all  the  jam  you  wanted. 

Half-pickles.    Malaga  grapes. 

Mashed  potatoes. 

Stewed  tomatoes. 

Coffee. 

One  large  cake  of  chocolate,  one  package  of  cigarettes. 

In  addition,  here  is  what  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  gave 
each  man : 

Two  cakes  of  chocolate  and  a  pack  of  Camel 
cigarettes. 

A  cup  of  free  cocoa. 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  S69 

And  the  mail  man  brought  scores  of  Christmas  boxes 
of  the  9X3X4  variety — ^making  many  doughboys' 
hearts  glad,  and  there  were  scores  of  letters,  too,  mailed 
[November  28th  to  December  2d  in  the  States,  which 
were  delivered. 

In  short,  it  was  a  merry  Christmas  for  the  112th. 

The  war  has  come  and  gone,  the  leading  roles  have 
been  played — and  as  the  day  went  swiftly  by,  more  than 
one  doughboy  said  a  silent  prayer  to  the  One  who  has 
guided  the  war  game  and  helped  bring  victory  and  real- 
ization of  hopes. 

Three  years  ago  Henry  Ford  set  sail  from  America 
and  arrived  in  Em'ope  to  get  the  boys  out  of  the  trenches 
by  Christmas.  To-day,  by  playing  her  own  part  vigor- 
ously and  shoving  the  Huns  beyond  their  own  confines, 
American  boys  in  France  were  able  to  enjoy  the  day  in 
peace  and  quietude. 

Wonderful  day  it  was. 

Services  were  held  in  all  battalions  by  the  three  Chap- 
lains with  the  regiment — Willis  W.  Hall,  David  G. 
Mann  and  Isaac  L.  Smith.  In  the  evening  a  song  ser- 
vice was  held  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  shortly  after  the  Chi'ist- 
mas  tree  fete  for  the  French  kiddies.  At  every  one  of  the 
many  scheduled  gatherings  and  exercises  of  the  day,  the 
demand  for  admittance  was  so  great  that  many  a  happy 
youngster  was  content  to  remain  outside,  or  else  return 
to  his  billet  to  huddle  about  the  stove  and  dream  about 
the  days  to  come  at  home. 

24 


370  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

No  one  who  attended  the  entertainment  at  the  shell- 
scarred  little  school  house  or  who  found  his  way  up  the 
dingy  steps  into  a  packed  room  will  forget  those  34 
happy  little  childi''en  who  were  reveling  in  their  first 
Christmas  in  four  years.    They  were  happy  as  kings. 

Eyes  beamed,  cheeks  were  rosy  and  on  every  face 
there  was  a  smile. 

More  than  1100  francs  (a  little  more  than  $200), 
contributed  by  the  soldiers  of  the  Headquarters,  Supply 
and  L  Companies  in  this  little  town,  bought  enough 
Christmas  presents  to  make  the  Christmas  tree  fete  a 
great  success. 

In  other  words,  the  A.  E.  F.  plaj^ed  the  role  of  Santa 
Claus  most  successfully  to  the  "  compatriots  of  Lafay- 
ette," as  one  little  youngster,  extending  a  greeting  to  the 
doughboys  in  his  native  language,  expressed  it. 

A  translation  of  the  address  read: 

Messieurs  Les  Americains. 
For  four  long  years  we  have  been  subjected  to  the  German 
rule.  One  glorious  day  we  heard  with  joy  that  a  great  people, 
friends  of  Liberty  and  Justice,  had  come  to  deliver  us.  Thank  you 
for  the  sacrifice  you  have  made  for  us.  In  the  name  of  my  little 
comrades,  I  thank  you,  for  giving  us  this  beautiful  celebration  at 
Christmas  time,  and  assure  you  that  the  memory  will  forever  remain. 
The  little  compatriots  of  Lafayette  will  never  forget.  They 
will  hold  the  memory  of  your  gifts  always  in  their  hearts. 

J.  Santignon, 
Mayor,  Buxieres. 

Architectural  sets,  hats,  capeS,  coats,  toys,  dolls, 
candy,  handkerchiefs,  and  fully  a  score  more  useful  ar- 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  371 

tides  were  on  the  list  of  presents  for  the  kiddies.  The 
112th  orchestra  barely  had  room  in  one  corner  to  play 
eight  or  nine  typical  American  selections. 

The  local  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretary,  assisted  by  Supply 
Sergeant  Albright,  of  the  Headquarters  Company, 
surely  overlooked  nothing  in  a  hurried  trip  to  Nancy  to 
secure  the  gifts ;  then,  willing  hands  helped  trim  the  big 
Christmas  tree,  which  occupied  the  center  of  the  large 
room,  and  then  doughboys  themselves  lit  the  scores  of 
candles  and  packed  the  room  almost  to  suffocation — 
but  the  real  spirit  of  giving  to  make  happy  was  surely 
there. 

A  little  French  mademoiselle  recited  in  French  a 
greeting  to  the  American  soldiers. 

John  Surra  sang,and  won  new  honors ;" Ma j"  Olmes* 
incomparable  whirlwind  orchestra  and  jazz  band  scored 
a  distinct  hit,  and  every  featm-e  of  the  short  hour's  enter- 
tainment emphasized  the  joyousness,  the  carefree  atti- 
tude  and  the  happiness  of  the  day. 

The  old  mayor  of  the  little  -vdllage  and  the  whole 
council  were  there,  French  mothers  and  fathers  also  at- 
tended— in  fact,  it  seemed  as  if  ever^^body  in  the  district 
was  on  hand  or  tried  to  elbow  his  way  into  the  room,  and 
everyone,  from  youngster  to  parent  and  doughboy  to 
officer,  caught  the  real  spirit  of  the  occasion. 

BuxiERES,  France,  December  26. 
Out  over  the  snow-covered  hilltops  I  walked  this 
afternoon.     It  was  a  trip  of  some  six  or  seven  miles, 


372  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

through  snow  two  to  three  inches  deep.  The  curious  fact 
was  that  down  in  the  Woevre  plain  and  through  the  vil- 
lages of  Buxi^res,  Buxerulles  and  Heudicourt  the  snow 
had  disappeared.  It  was  on  the  hilltops  and  the  plateau 
of  the  Meuse  heights,  however,  in  and  around  the  old 
German  ammunition  dump  and  signal  station,  and 
throughout  the  territory  covered  by  the  narrow-gauge 
ammunition  railway  that  Old  Winter  had  played  pranks 
with  the  scenery.  The  pine  trees  were  wearing  a  heavy 
coat  of  white. 

Even  the  abandoned  German  observation  post  in  one 
of  the  tall  trees,  and  the  old  German  telephone  lines,  now 
cut  to  pieces  in  many  places,  were  covered  with  snow. 
It  was  a  landscape  of  wliite  everywhere  one  looked — in 
other  words  it  wa-s  winter  upon  the  hilltop  and  fall  in 
the  valley  and  plain  below.  But  the  weather  is  generally 
cooler,  the  roads  are  improved  because  of  that  and  so  the 
hope  is  general  that  real  winter  weather  may  be  on  deck 
in  earnest.  Shellholes  and  funklioles  are  filled  with  water 
and  ice ;  and  a  trip  through  the  snow  on  the  heights  about 
Buxieres  is  the  best  proof  why  the  doughboys  of  the  112th 
are  happj'' — glad  that  they  are  not  wading  through  snow 
and  mud  in  No  Man's  Land  "  up  the  line." 

No  Man's  Land  in  this  sector  surely  presented  a  deso- 
late appearance.  Chevaux-de-frise — or  the  iron  bar- 
riers covered  with  barbed  wire — added  a  touch  of  grim 
war  to  a  scene  that  now  is  one  of  peace ;  and  over  at  the 
old  German  ammunition  dump,  where  piles  of  shells, 


HOLroAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  S73 

concrete,  bombs  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of  a  defeated 
army  still  lie,  guarded  only  by  the  six  or  seven  men  on 
post,  quietude  reigns.  It  is  surely  "  peace  on  earth  " 
in  the  one-time  war  zone  now.  It  is  the  first  time,  too, 
that  we  have  seen  for  ourselves  what  the  trenches,  the 
barbed  wire  and  No  Man's  Land  itself  look  like  in  wintry 
garb.  Surely  the  front  line  is  not  an  inviting  place  under 
such  conditions. 

The  great  mocking  red  cross  that  lies  on  top  of  the 
hill  just  back  of  Buxieres  is  still  in  place.  It  is  German- 
made,  consti-ucted  of  red  brick  embedded  in  the  earth, 
and  then  surrounded  and  set  off,  so  that  all  aviators 
might  see,  by  white  crushed  stone.  This  red  cross  was  not 
made  for  the  protection  of  the  sick  and  wounded  within 
that  area ;  a  hundred  feet  away,  under  the  shelter  of  pine 
trees,  is  the  big  ammunition  dump.  Several  hundred  feet 
beyond  that  were  the  great  gun  positions,  which  swept  the 
Woevre  plain  eastward  in  the  direction  of  Mont  Sec,. or 
else  to  the  west,  toward  St.  Mihiel.  And  this  mocking 
red  cross  still  lies  there — convicting  by  its  own  presence 
the  purpose  of  the  Huns  who  placed  it  in  position,  an 
enduring  monument  to  their  crimes  and  deceit. 

During  the  trip  over  the  hilltops  and  through  the 
Woevre  plain  this  afternoon  I  made  a  little  side-trip 
over  the  plain  to  what  had  been  the  Buxieres  station, 
once  on  the  broad,  but  now  on  the  naiTOW-gauge  line. 
The  railroad  ties  indicate  that  the  Germans  replaced  the 
broad-gauge  with  a  narrow-gauge  system,  in  order  that 


374  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

ammunition  instead  of  passengers  might  be  hustled  to  the 
artillery  positions.  German  signs,  which  were  prominent 
when  the  first  Americans  arrived  here,  are  being  fast  re- 
moved, and  so  even  in  the  woodland  and  isolated  places 
about  Buxieres  it  is  an  miusual  sight  now  even  to  see  a 
painted  arrow  pointing  to  an  "  artillerie  stellung." 

With  a  week  of  half  holidays  in  store,  with  winter 
weather  on  top  and  a  liberal  chance  to  explore  the  sur- 
rounding country  at  least  for  an  area  of  four  miles,  there 
will  be  many  doughboys  who  will  be  able  to  get  a  glimpse 
at  the  shell- wrecked  towns  in  this  vicinity. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  did  such  a  rushing  business  on 
Christmas  and  gave  so  much  away  that  it  is  now  closed 
for  a  period  of  two  days,  in  order  that  it  can  stock 
up  again.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  surely  won  a  place  in  the 
hearts  of  the  fellows  at  Buxieres  Christmas  Day,  while 
the  K.  of  C.  did  similar  sei-vice  at  the  town  south 
of  here,  Buxerulles. 

So  the  Christmas  season  passed.  The  weather  was 
so  miserable  at  that  time  that  a  rigid  training  program 
would  have  been  almost  out  of  reach;  drills  were  con- 
ducted during  the  morning  only  and  frequently  the  roads 
and  woods  were  so  muddy  that  even  these  had  to  be  called 
off  during  holiday  week. 

On  New  Year's  eve  Colonel  Rickards  published 
a  greeting  to  the  officers  and  men  of  the  command, 
which  read: 


HOLroAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  375 

The  Commanding  Officer  extends  to  his  comrades  of  the  112th 
Infantry,  regardless  of  rank,  his  sincere  appreciation  of  their  mani- 
fest efforts  to  maintain  and  still  further  raise  the  efficiency  of  our 
organization. 

The  past  year  has  been  no  doubt  the  most  eventful  of  our 
lives.  WTiile  we  regret  the  loss  of  many  of  our  comrades,  yet  we 
rejoice  that  they  died  a  true  soldier's  death.  Many  have  been 
wounded  and  maimed,  and  these  should  be  to  us  like  the  tender 
plant  left  to  our  care. 

No  effort,  no  self-denial  on  our  part  should  be  considered 
too  great  for  us  when  the  opportunity  offers  to  extend  to  them  the 
hand  of  loving  charity  and  of  loving  comradeship. 

That  you  have  met  the  demands  made  upon  your  abilities, 
endurance  and  physical  strength,  %vith  true  spirit  and  uncomplaining 
fortitude,  that  you  have  deserved  and  received  the  commendation 
of  higher  commanders,  is  of  great  moment  and  a  higher  prize  to  me 
than  the  bestowal  of  higher  rank  and  knighthood  itself. 

And  so  it  is  with  sincere  feelings  of  comradeship  that  I  greet 
you  on  this  New  Year's  morning  with  ardent  faith  in  your  loyalty 
and  belief  in  your  performance  of  duty  as  soldiers  that  must  not 
only  maintain  the  Regiment's  high  standard  but  raise  it  to  still 
higher  planes  of  soldierly  efficiency,  manly  decorum  and  moral 
character. 

I  wish  you  and  yours  a  most  pleasant  and  happy  New  Year. 

Such  a  message  only  went  to  emphasize  anew  the 
great  bond  between  Commanding  Officer  and  the  man  in 
the  ranks.  Coupled  with  the  Christmas  message  he  had 
written  for  those  sorrowing  ones  at  home,  whose  boys 
were  not  to  return,  it  indicated  that  his  heart  was  with 
his  men  at  all  times.  If  there  was  one  thing  for  which  a 
doughboy  was  grateful  during  those  days  in  which  the 
old  year  was  dying  and  a  new  one  being  born,  it  was  that 
Colonel  Rickards  still  commanded  the  112th  Infantry. 


376  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

With  the  112th  Infantry, 
BuxiEREs,  France,  January  1, 1919. 

A  new  year  started  joyously  to-day  for  the  112th 
Infantry. 

It  entered  at  midnight  December  31st,  and  for  fifteen 
minutes  the  lid  was  officially  and  actually  declared  off, 
and  shots  rang  out  from  every  hillside  and  billet  and 
scores  of  flares  were  burned,  and  battle  days  harmlessly 
renewed  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

The  band  repeated  its  Christmas  stunt,  welcoming 
the  New  Year  wath  a  picked  quartet  of  cometists,  and 
then,  just  after  plajHing  taps  for  the  dying  1918,  a  few 
minutes  later  sounded  reveille.  So  a  new  year,  high  with 
hope  for  an  early  return  to  the  United  States — the  only 
wish  the  doughboys  have  now — started  its  history. 

Down  at  the  Supply  Company  office  the  officers  were 
enjoying  a  typical  New  Year's  eve  feast,  with  music  fur- 
nished by  the  112th  orchestra;  card  games  and  other 
celebrations  were  in  progress  in  many  enlisted  men's  bil- 
lets, and  some  ardent  writers  were  even  penning  letters 
to  their  sweethearts  or  their  wives — or  both — when  the 
old  year  died  and  the  new  was  bom. 

All  around,  1919  got  a  joyous  start,  and  to-day  the 
sun  smiled  as  never  before — at  least,  it  seemed  that  way, 
for  to-day  was  fair  all  the  way  through,  from  sunrise  to 
sunset.  Then  came  more  rumors  of  a  possible  return  to 
the  States  even  before  April,  the  latest  report  being  for 
a  movement  to  get  under  way  by  February  15th — and 
whether  this  had  any  foundation  or  not,  boys  who  have 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  377 

but  one  aim  in  the  army  life,  and  that  to  get  home,  were 
greatly  cheered. 

Breakfast  was  at  9  and  dinner  at  3;  mess  sergeants 
who  had  gone  to  Nancy  two  days  ago  for  the  special  pur- 
chase of  extras  for  the  New  Year's  feast  did  their  best  to 
take  care  of  the  "  inner  man  "  in  splendid  fashion. 

Typical  of  the  menus  furnished  by  the  various  com- 
panies of  the  regiment  was  that  of  the  Headquarters 
Company,  consisting  of  steak,  mashed  potatoes,  turnips, 
bread  and  butter,  grapes,  apple  sauce  and  coffee.  Each 
enlisted  man  was  also  issued  a  package  of  Nestor  cig- 
arettes and  a  large  cake  of  Chocolate  Menier. 

The  boys  of  some  companies  in  the  3d  Battalion  fared 
even  better ;  at  the  expense  of  mess  funds,  carefully  saved, 
officers  purchased  turkey,  duck  and  chicken,  at  truly 
absurd  prices,  that  the  New  Year  might  be  fittingly  wel- 
comed. In  Company  I,  for  instance,  the  boys  had  their 
pick  of  these  three  fowls — and  tm'ke^^  at  97  cents  a  pound 
and  a  liberal  portion  to  each  man !  No  wonder  the  new 
year  was  happily  welcomed. 

Proclaimed  as  a  holiday  throughout  the  entire  regi- 
ment and  bringing  the  half-holidays  of  Christmas  week 
to  a  close.  New  Year's  was  surely  well  observed,  and  the 
men  made  the  most  of  the  vacation. 

Recalling  an  honored  army  custom,  all  oflScers  of  the 
regiment  paid  their  respect  to  the  Commanding  OfiScer, 
Colonel  George  C.  Rickards,  at  Regimental  Headquar- 
ters, between  10  and  12  in  the  forenoon.  Ground  pine  and 
branches  of  pine  trees  were  used  in  the  simple  but  taste- 


378  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

fully  arranged  decorations;  over  the  entrance  were  the 
figures  "  1919,"  and  at  each  side  were  the  colors,  national 
and  regimental,  while  a  "  snappy  "  color  guard  paced 
to  and  fro,  and  the  officers  entered,  not  only  to  shake 
hands  and  wish  the  Colonel  a  pleasant  new  year,  but  to 
listen  to  the  splendid  two-hour  program  which  Major 
Olmes  had  arranged  for  the  112th  orchestra.  The  or- 
chestra surely  did  itself  credit,  gaining  new  words  of 
appreciation  in  addition  to  those  already  said  in  its  behalf. 

Then,  at  4  in  the  afternoon,  the  entire  band  boarded 
two  waiting  trucks,  went  to  Heudicourt,  where  they 
played  four  selections  for  Major  General  William  Hay, 
and  were  accorded  a  warm  reception.  One  interesting 
feature  was  the  dance,  entirely  impromptu,  staged  in  the 
street  by  a  doughboy  who  had  evidently  been  celebrating 
with  a  little  French  wine.  By  far  it  was  one  of  the  clev- 
erest vaudeville  stunts  and  neatest  bits  of  dancing  the 
boys  have  seen,  and  he  was  roundly  applauded.  Then 
the  band  was  whirled  away  in  the  same  trucks  to  play  a 
program  lasting  an  hour  and  a  half  for  the  1st  and  3d 
Battalions,  the  concert  being  given  in  Company  I's 
mess-house. 

The  boys  of  those  battalions  could  hardly  get  enough 
of  those  favorites  of  the  regiment  which  have  helped  keep 
the  112th's  great  old  band  right  in  the  limelight  on  such 
occasions.  "  Robin  Hood,"  **  Hungarian  Fantasie," 
"  Remick's  Hits,"  "  American  Red  Cross,"  "  Pick  a  Lit- 
tle Four-Leaf  Clover  "  and  nearly  a  dozen  more  brought 
one  round  of  applause  after  another.    There  wasn't  any 


HOLIDAY  THOUGHTS  OF  HOME  379 

floor  in  the  mess-house,  and  the  band  boys  sat  with  their 
feet  in  mud,  and  with  only  dripping,  flickering  candles 
for  light — yet  they  caught  the  spirit  of  the  occasion,  and 
like  the  night  of  the  hard-luck  trip  to  Jouy  in  the  mud 
and  the  rain,  played  one  of  their  best  concerts. 

Appropriate  song  services  were  held  at  the  Y  in  the 
evening ;  then,  Frank  Hays,  well-known  Oil  City  man  in 
the  Y  service,  who  has  been  at  Woinville,  three  miles 
away,  for  the  past  month,  resumed  his  work  at  the  local 
association  hut.  The  fact  that  Frank  Hays  is  back  with 
the  112th  boys,  and  this  on  the  first  day  of  the  new  year, 
surely  is  occasion  for  real  delight — so,  taken  altogether,  it 
needs  no  second  look  to  convince  the  casual  reader  that 
New  Year's  Day  was  a  happy  one  for  the  doughboys 
in  France. 

The  old  year  of  1918,  with  its  eventful  history,  has 
dropped  into  the  past,  but  as  the  days  pass  the  memories 
of  the  fellows  who  fought  side  by  side  with  us  all  the  way 
gi-ow  more  precious,  and  living  up  to  the  full  spirit'  of 
Colonel  Rickards'  splendidly  worded  New  Year's  greet- 
ing to  the  men,  they  will  play  the  army  game  well,  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  "  raise  it  to  still  higher  planes  of  sol- 
dierly efficiency,  manly  decorum  and  moral  character." 

And  yet,  as  this  New  Year  gets  a  start,  there  is  but 
one  hope  in  every  doughboy's  heart — "  Get  me  back  to 
the  U.  S.  A.  by  spring,  and  I'll  be  satisfied." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

FROM  BUXIERES  TO  TRAVERON 

A  Four-Day  March  to  Civilization — Two  Months' 
Stay  in  Joan  of  Arc's  Country,  with  Renewed  Drill 
Program — Great  Reviews  by  Lieut. -General  BuUard  and 
General  Pershing — Box  Car  Ride  to  Embarkation  Area. 

Wild  rumors  of  movement  to  the  north,  east  and 
south,  and  the  dreary  days  in  the  Buxieres  district,  came 
to  an  end  on  the  morning  of  January  6th,  when  the  entire 
outfit,  from  the  Machine  Gun  Company  at  Jouy  to  the 
battalions  in  the  old  German  billets  on  the  hillsides  be- 
hind Buxieres,  hit  the  dirt  road  again.  Heavy  packs, 
full  equipment  and  light  hearts  were  the  order  of  the  day. 

The  weather  man  was  the  kindest  individual  of  all. 
For  days  it  had  been  raining,  but  this  eventful  Monday 
morning  dawned  clear  with  a  fine  sun  rising  high  in  the 
sky,  and  the  start  was  made.  It  is  a  coincidence  that 
throughout  the  whole  four  days  of  the  hike  the  sun  shone, 
and  the  first  rain  fell  only  when  the  destination  of  the 
main  body,  at  Pagny  la  Blanche  Cote,  had  been  reached. 

The  average  distance  covered  that  first  day  amounted 
to  28  kilometers ;  it  was  a  telling  march,  for  men's  feet 
had  grown  soft  through  the  absence  of  any  long  marches 
during  more  than  two  months.  The  2d  Battalion  reached 
Cornieville,  and  billeted  in  barns  for  the  night.  It  had 
been  in  tliis  same  town  that  the  Headquarters  Com- 
pany was  dumped  oiF  in  mid-October,  after  a  long  truck 

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FROM  BUXIERES  TO  TRAVERON  381 

ride  from  Parois,  southeast  of  the  Argonne.  Other  units 
billeted  in  Boucq  and  Rangeval,  where  the  26th  Division 
had  made  history  fourteen  months  before. 

The  second  day's  march,  covering  only  14  kilometers, 
was  far  more  pleasant.  It  felt  like  getting  back  to  civil- 
ization then,  for  larger  towns  loomed  up,  real  broad- 
gauge  railroads  were  sighted  and  it  was  easy  to  be  seen, 
though  close  to  Toul,  these  tovms  had  not  been  heavily 
shelled  during  the  war.  The  Headquarters  and  Supply 
Companies,  as  well  as  all  the  1st  Battalion,  congratulated 
themselves  in  reaching  Foug,  and  the  2d  Battalion  at 
Lay  St.  Remy  and  the  3d  at  Laneuville  were  hardly 
less  fortunate. 

Yet  it  was  the  third  day  that  proved  the  most  eventful 
of  the  march,  with  another  18  kilometers  lopped  off. 
Vaucouleurs,  24  kilometers  southwest  of  Toul  and  some 
19  kilos  from  Commercy,  was  a  busy  place  from  2  o'clock 
on,  that  afternoon  of  January  8th,  as  the  troops  arrived. 
Not  only  was  it  the  largest  town  in  which  our  troops  had 
ever  stopped  overnight,  but  it  was  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting, with  its  many  cafes,  restaurants,  modern  stores 
and  historic  appeal.  Every  street  and  many  cafes,  it 
seemed,  bore  some  title  that  was  associated  with  the  life 
or  birthplace  of  Joan  of  Arc.  The  main  thoroughfare 
of  the  town  is  kno^Ti  as  the  Rue  Jeanne  d'Arc,  and  this, 
after  making  a  turn  and  starting  southward  towards 
Joan's  birthplace,  becomes  the  Rue  Domremy.  The  big 
weather-beaten  stone  chapel  of  the  city  pays  homage  to 
the  Maid  of  Orleans,  and  there  is  a  special  altar  in  her 


382  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

honor;  and  near  the  door  is  a  collection  box  into  which 
the  visitor  drops  his  coins,  for  the  purpose  of  helping  in 
the  reconstruction  of  the  chapel  on  the  hill.  For,  as  his- 
tory goes,  it  was  in  Vaucouleurs  that  Joan  of  Arc  (or 
Jeanne  d'Arc,  as  she  is  known  to  the  French)  was  out- 
fitted as  a  warrior,  given  a  mount  and  started  off  for  the 
Court  of  Charles,  at  Chinon.  This  was  in  February, 
1429,  and  the  ruins  of  part  of  the  old  chapel  in  which 
she  received  the  blessing  still  stand  on  the  hill  that  over- 
looks the  city. 

Even  the  doughboy,  hardened  by  days  in  the  line,  felt 
a  certain  indescribable  sympathy  for  that  daring  little 
French  girl,  who,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  with  her  hair 
cropped  and  with  six  men-in-arms  as  an  escort,  started 
out  on  the  great  mission  of  saving  France.  And  in  the 
days  to  follow,  as  the  troops  marched  nearer  to  her  birth- 
place at  Domremy,  now  affectionately  kno\\Ti  as  Dom- 
remy  la  Pucelle  (meaning  Domremy  of  the  Maid) ,  there 
was  more  than  a  mere  historic  influence  that  spanned  the 
stretch  of  nearly  500  years. 

In  reaching  Vaucouleurs  we  had  covered  60  kilo- 
meters in  three  days'  hiking,  and  the  next  day,  with  14 
kilos  more  added  to  the  total,  we  had  reached  the  end  of 
the  journey. 

Within  two  days  billeting  conditions  were  adjusted, 
and  the  companies  and  battalions  permanently  assigned. 
In  the  Meuse  valley,  with  the  most  northerly  town  of  the 
area  only  ten  kilos  from  Joan  of  Arc's  birthplace,  and 
Goussaincom-t,  the  most  southerly,  but  four  kilos  away, 


FROM  BUXIERES  TO  TRAVERON  383 

we  were  surely  in  Joan  of  Arc's  country.  Regimental 
Headquarters  was  established  at  Traveron;  the  2d  Bat- 
talion was  at  Pagny  la  Blanche  Cote;  Companies  A 
and  B  at  Goussaincourt ;  Companies  C  and  D  at  Burey 
la  Cote;  and  the  3d  Battalion  and  Supply  Company 
in  Sauvigny. 

It  was  at  the  latter  place  that  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  head- 
quarters for  the  112th  area  was  estabhshed,  with  Frank 
(Hays  in  charge,  and  during  those  listless  days  of  waiting 
in  the  valley  of  the  Meuse,  he  surely  took  splendid  care 
of  the  men  and  made  extra  efforts  to  keep  a  large  supply 
of  literature,  foodstuffs  and  tobacco,  cigarettes  and  cigars 
on  hand. 

So  from  the  early  part  of  January  until  March  17th, 
Joan  of  Arcs  country  became  the  home  of  the  112th 
Regiment.  The  INIachine  Gun  Company  was  billeted 
elsewhere  in  the  Colombey  les  Belles  district,  Colombey 
at  once  becoming  the  Headquarters  of  the  28th  Division. 

Regular  drills,  modified  during  February  to  include 
activity  during  the  forenoon  only,  with  athletics  as  part 
of  the  afternoon  program,  at  once  became  the  feature  of 
the  life  in  this  area.  Training,  in  fact,  was  resumed 
January  13th  and  continued,  interspersed  with  regimen- 
tal parades,  division  maneuvers  and  brigade  terrain 
exercises,  until  the  word  was  passed  for  an  evacuation 
and  a  getaway  to  Le  Mans. 

All  that  the  boys  talked  about  during  those  days  was 
a  start  for  home.  Those  first  days  in  the  area  gave  rise  to 
all  mamier  of  rumors,  and  expectations  ran  liigh,  among 


884  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

officers  as  well  as  men,  that  the  stay  would  be  short.  But 
as  days  lengthened  into  weeks  and  the  program  con- 
tinued uninterrupted,  it  was  realized  that  it  was  merely 
another  period  of  "  watchful  waiting,"  and  that  the  28th 
Division  must  await  its  turn  before  counting  definitely 
on  a  start  for  the  seacoast. 

One  is  not  apt  to  forget  the  death  of  Jolm  Yorke,  one 
of  the  112th  band  boys,  on  January  16th.  Taken  sick 
but  two  days  previous,  he  was  hurried  to  a  field  hospital, 
w^here  his  illness  was  diagnosed  as  spinal  meningitis ;  he 
lived  but  a  short  time,  and  on  the  16th  his  comrades  re- 
ceived news  of  his  death  at  the  hospital  in  the  28th's  area 
— a  shock  that  was  felt  not  only  in  the  band,  where  he 
was  greatly  liked,  but  in  the  companies  throughout  the 
regiment,  where  men  had  admired  his  sterling  qualities. 
Coming  as  it  did,  the  first  death  in  the  regimental  band 
and  being  the  only  one  sustained  dm*ing  overseas  duty, 
it  was  felt  keenly.  As  a  result,  the  band  was  kept  in 
quarantine,  first  in  the  big  barn  where  the  boys  were  bil- 
leted, and  then  in  the  portable  barracks  erected  in  Trave- 
ron,  for  a  period  of  more  than  a  month. 

During  those  last  days  of  January,  the  most  welcome 
word  of  all  arrived ;  a  general  extension  of  the  f m'lough 
privilege,  in  which  the  doughboys  had  had  but  a  small 
share  up  until  that  time.  There  had  been  three  leave 
parties  to  Aix  les  Bains  and  two  to  Le  Mont  Dore,  in 
central  France,  but  the  ambition  of  the  man  in  the  ranks 
was  to  go  to  Paris,  Great  Britain  or  to  some  leave  area 
which  he  himself  could  select;  the  extension  of  the  fur- 


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H      c3   - 


FROM  BUXIERES  TO  TRAVERON  385 

lough  privilege  made  this  possible  for  the  soldier  in  good 
standing,  and  on  January  26th  five  classes  of  leaves  were 
announced  to  the  men. 

This  new^  furlough  privilege  specifically  stated  that 
each  man,  irrespective  of  previous  leaves,  was  entitled  to 
spend  tliree  days  in  Paris — and  as  a  result  there  came  a 
veritable  flood  of  applications,  and  a  large  number  of  the 
regiment  had  the  splendid  opportunity  of  seeing  France's 
foremost  city.  Others  took  advantage  of  the  regular 
leave  parties  during  February  and  early  in  March ;  these 
went  to  Grenoble,  Le  Mont  Dore  and  to  Nice  and  the 
Riviera,  magnificent  trips  which  gave  the  doughboy  who 
had  seen  nothing  but  manure  piles  and  the  interior  of 
barns  a  real  chance  to  see  something  worth  while  in 
France,  and  to  take  home  a  better  impression  of  the 
country  than  would  otherwise  be  possible. 

Such  leaves,  too,  gave  him  the  opportunity  of  getting 
clean  clothes,  and,  most  of  all,  getting  a  bath.  ]\Iany 
soldiers  had  gone  through  the  war  with  fewer  than  a 
dozen  baths,  and  most  of  these  had  been  in  streams  or 
under  circumstances  where  a  thorough  cleansing  was  im- 
possible. A  small  bath  house  was  fitted  out  at  Sauvigny, 
but  it  was  not  adequate  for  the  demands  of  the  regiment ; 
and  supplemented  by  others  later  built  at  Pagny  and 
Traveron,  late  in  Februarj%  even  they  hardly  answered 
the  demand.  So  a  furlough  made  possible  a  temporary 
ridding  of  the  cooties  and  the  feel  of  clean  clothes — and 
nothing  is  more  refreshing,  more  conducive  to  good  disci- 

25 


386  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

pline  and  a  brighter  outlook  on  life  in  the  army  than  such 
an  opportunity  to  get  clean. 

Intensely  cold  weather  and  heavy  snows  during  the 
first  week  in  February  put  a  kink  in  the  customary  drill 
program,  and  with  the  mercury  down  to  zero  and  the 
snow  so  deep  that  trucks  could  not  get  through  and  traf- 
fic at  a  standstill,  the  doughboys  found  that  it  could  be 
real  winter  in  the  valley  of  the  Meuse  as  well  as  in  the 
hills  and  broad  valleys  of  Pennsylvania.  The  firing 
problem  of  Februarj^  8th  had  to  be  called  off  at  the  last 
minute  because  of  these  conditions,  and  the  rising  waters 
of  the  Meuse  a  few  days  later,  when  warm  weather  came, 
brought  to  a  halt  the  terrain  exercises  which  had  been  a 
semi- weekly  feature. 

Then,  on  February  12th,  came  that  magnificent  divi- 
sion review  before  the  Commanding  General  of  Amer- 
ica's Second  Army  in  France,  Lieut.-General  Robert  L. 
BuUard.  Shoulder-to-shoulder  and  in  great  unbroken 
ranks,  the  fighters  of  the  Keystone  Division  swept  across 
snow-covered  fields  at  Barizey  au  Plain,  a  short  distance 
west  of  Colombey. 

It  was  the  first  review  of  the  28th  Division  that  had 
been  held  since  that  grand  finale  at  Camp  Hancock  late 
in  April,  1918. 

Lieut.-General  Robert  L.  Bullard  was  so  manifestly 
pleased  at  the  showing  of  the  Keystone  boys  that  he  dis- 
patched without  delay  a  note  of  commendation  to  Major 
General  William  H.  Hay: 


FROM  BUXIERES  TO  TRAVERON  387 

I  have  to-day  reviewed  your  division.  I  congratulate  you 
and  it  upon  the  fine  showing  that  it  has  made  in  every  way.  Men, 
arms,  animals,  material — everything,  was  in  fine  shape.  It 
speaks  wonders  for  your  discipline,  that  with  nothing  to  expect  after 
the  armistice  this  division  has  kept  itself  in  such  fine  spirits  and  such 
fine  condition. 

In  other  divisions  that  have  already  been  reviewed  by  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief before  starting  home,  you  have  something  to  beat. 
Do  it! 

The  communication  was  signed  by  General  Bullard 
himself,  and  inmiediately  became  a  source  of  profound 
interest  at  headquarters — not  alone  for  its  congratula- 
tory tone,  but  for  the  significant  phrases,  "  re\aewed  by 
the  Commander-in-Chief  "  and  "  before  starting  home." 

Major-General  Hay  immediately  published  the  an- 
nouncement to  all  organizations,  adding: 

The  Division  Commander  desires  to  express  his  appreciation  of 
the  splendid  spirit  which  prevails  throughout  the  division.  It  is  this 
spirit  that  won  for  us  to-day  the  appreciation  of  the  Army  Com- 
mander. It  is  believed  that  this  division,  before  its  return  home,  will 
have  the  honor  of  being  reviewed  by  General  Pershing.  When  this 
event  takes  places,  which  it  is  hoped  will  be  soon,  the  Division  Com- 
mander expects  the  28th  (Keystone)  Division  to  carry  out  the  closing 
injunction  of  the  Army  Commander,  and  to  win  also  the  commenda- 
tion of  the  Commander-in-Chief. 

The  great  review,  beginning  shortly  after  10  o'clock, 
lasted  until  the  early  afternoon.  Soldiers  tramped 
through  the  cold  of  near-to-zero  weather  early  in  the 
morning  and  were  up  at  4.30  o'clock  in  many  cases,  so 
that  the  commands  could  be  at  the  designated  area  in 
time.    The  110th  band  furnished  the  field  music  for  the 


S88  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

occasion,  and  under  such  weather  conditions,  had  a  diffi- 
cult time  in  preventing  their  instruments  from  freezing. 

It  was  11.30  o'clock  when  the  56th  Brigade,  the  senior 
infantry  brigade  of  the  division,  took  the  field,  with  the 
112th  Infantry  first  in  line,  followed  by  the  111th.  Col- 
onel Rickards  was  senior  infantry  commander  of  the 
division.  Then  came  the  55th  Brigade,  with  the  veterans 
of  the  109th  and  110th  Infantry  organizations.  The 
great  column  passed  in  review  in  lines  of  masses.  There 
was  no  cheering  of  veterans  from  **  up  the  line,"  crunch- 
ing their  way  over  the  beaten  snow  paths  of  the  plain, 
fingers  frost-bitten  as  they  gripped  the  rifles,  lines 
straight  as  a  rule,  with  *'  eyes  right "  as  the  reviewing 
officers  were  passed. 

While  every  man  in  the  28th  Division  wore  his  red 
Keystone,  the  insignia  of  the  "  fighting  red  "  division,  it 
was  a  far  different  group  of  men  than  those  of  training 
camp  days  who  swept  over  sands  at  Camp  Hancock  in 
December,  January  and  April  a  year  ago.  Nearly  four 
thousand  of  those  boys  lie  "  somewhere  in  France," 
sleeping  the  last  long  sleep,  and  eleven  thousand  others 
are  on  the  list  of  wounded,  the  majority  of  them  back  in 
the  States.  So  the  Keystone  array  was  more  like  the 
Rainbow  Division — with  veterans  from  Pennsylvania, 
New  York,  the  New  England  states,  Mississippi  and 
Louisiana,  the  Southwest,  even  California,  Washington 
and  Oregon.  Husky  fellows  from  Wisconsin,  Illinois 
and  Michigan  were  in  line,  too — it  seemed  more  like  the 
Army  of  America  than  the  Pennsylvania  Division. 


FROM  BUXIERES  TO  TRAVERON  389 

Withal,  they  were  sturdy  specimens  of  the  American 
soldier,  tried  under  shellfire  and  proven  all-steel.  These 
were  the  fighters  whom  General  Pershing  is  said  to  have 
called  "  iron  men." 

Despite  the  intensely  cold  weather,  drifted  roads  and 
uncertain  footing  on  the  slippery  field,  the  boys  gave  no 
evidence  of  these  conditions  as  they  followed  regimental 
and  national  colors  across  the  great  plain. 

That  night  there  was  considerable  speculation  as  to 
the  "  going  home  "  remarks  in  both  General  Bullard's 
congratulatory  note  and  that  of  Major-General  Hay. 
On  the  heels  of  discouraging  rumors  of  the  two  weeks 
preceding  the  review,  the  Keystone  boys  felt  there  was 
something  more  tangible  than  a  mere  ray  of  hope  for 
departure  in  the  spring  or  summer.  On  Washington's 
Birthday,  February  22d,  the  welcome  announcement 
was  made  by  the  28th  Division  Headquarters,  following 
word  from  General  Pershing,  that  the  28th  Division  had 
been  picked  to  sail  second  on  the  list  of  homeward-bound 
divisions  in  May. 

So  hearts  beat  just  a  little  faster,  and  hopes  were  all 
the  brighter  during  those  otherwise  monotonous  days  in 
the  Meuse  valley.  This  announcement  went  far  toward 
maintaining  the  splendid  discipline  that  had  prevailed 
so  far,  and  which  was  indeed  in  danger  of  breaking  had 
not  some  encouraging  news  been  forthcoming. 

Interest  then  switched  to  the  splendid  showing  that 
the  28th  Division's  crack  football  team  was  making  in 
the  celebrated  0-0  contests,  with  the  79th,  5th  and  other 


390  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

divisions.  Games  were  played  at  Colombey,  at  Esch  in 
Luxemburg,  and  on  the  big  flying  field  at  Toul.  Freight 
car  specials  and  truck  trains  carried  enthusiastic  rooters 
to  these  contests,  each  regiment  being  allowed  so  many 
officers  and  so  many  enlisted  men  on  the  sidelines.  Had 
transportation  facilities  been  available,  there  is  little 
doubt  but  that  a  general  holiday  would  have  been  de- 
clared and  everyone  who  so  desired  permitted  to  attend 
the  games. 

The  28th  Division  team  was  never  beaten,  and  the 
final  game,  which  resulted  in  a  scoreless  tie  with  the  7th 
Division,  was  awarded  to  the  Regular  Army  unit  merely 
because  it  had  gained  34  more  yards  than  the  28th  eleven. 
This  decision  permitted  the  7th  Division  to  enter  the 
A.  E.  F.  championship  games  in  Paris;  but  it  remains 
the  belief  to  this  day  among  loyal  Keystoners  that  the 
28th  had  the  best  team  in  the  whole  Second  Army. 

The  biggest  event  of  March,  and  in  fact  one  of  the 
most  memorable  occasions  in  France,  was  the  review  of 
the  entire  division  by  General  John  J.  Pershing,  Com- 
mander-in-Chief of  the  armies  in  France,  which  took 
place  on  practically  the  same  field  over  which  the 
troops  had  marched  before  General  Bullard  during  the 
previous  month. 

This  review,  held  under  cloudy  skies,  was  even  more 
impressive.  The  four  infantry  regiments,  the  machine 
gun  battalions  and  their  transports  participated.  The 
review  eclipsed  in  brilliance  and  impressiveness  the  finest 
of  the  division  reviews  at  Camp  Hancock. 


FROM  BUXIERES  TO  TRAVERON  391 

Three  score  aeroplanes,  flying  in  battle  formation, 
then  sideslipping  in  unison  and  doing  the  light  fantastic, 
almost  shared  honors  in  point  of  interest  with  the  steady 
stream  of  doughboys,  steel  helmeted  and  with  dull-col- 
ored bayonets  furnishing  a  cold  rigid  line,  as  the  infantry 
outfits  swept  across  the  field. 

For  three  days  all  that  the  division  officers  and  men 
had  talked  about  had  been  the  review;  plans,  maps  and 
order  after  order  had  filtered  down  from  Division  Head- 
quarters until  every  man  was  fighting  fit  and  inspired. 

Those  doughboys  who  took  part  will  not  soon  for- 
get it.  Attired  in  their  trench  coats,  carrying  light  packs, 
wearing  their  shiny  steel  helmets  with  the  new  red  key- 
stone, and  carrying  rifles  with  bayonets  fixed — they 
formed  the  ideal  picture  of  the  American  fighting  man. 
Officers  seldom  have  been  prouder  of  their  commands; 
and  it  was  evident  that  General  Pershing  and  his  staff 
were  inmiensely  pleased. 

Four  hundred  trucks,  requisitioned  from  all  anny 
areas  immediatelv  adiacent  to  the  Colombev  les  Belles 
district,  had  saved  the  soldiers  a  wean^  hike  of  1.5  miles 
to  the  reviewing  field,  and  so  when  the  word  was  given 
to  pass  in  review  at  3  in  the  afternoon,  they  were  in  the 
pink  of  marching  condition.  All  regimental  bands  were 
grouped  in  one;  all  Headquarters  Companies  were 
grouped  into  a  special  Headquarters  Battalion,  with 
Captain  Paul  E.  Ziegler,  112th  Infantry,  commanding. 

The  112th  Infantr}',  in  command  of  Colonel  George 
C.  Rickards,  with  Lieut.-Colonel  Paul  Tucker,  second 


392  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

in  command,  never  appeared  to  better  advantage  as  it 
swept  across  the  wide  field,  platoon  lines  straight  and 
the  steel  grayness  of  the  day  providing  the  ideal  setting 
for  the  review  of  able-bodied  fighting  men.  Now  and 
then  the  sun  would  peep  out  from  some  cloud,  sending 
a  shaft  of  light  across  the  field  that  would  cause  even  the 
dull-colored  bayonets  to  flash  as  wave  after  wave  of  men 
passed  the  reviewing  stand. 

The  great  long  column  of  men  and  wagons  was 
hastily  given  the  once-over  by  Major-General  William 
H.  Hay,  the  Division  Commander,  who  rode  the  line; 
then  the  order,  "  Pass  in  review,"  was  called  down  the 
line,  and  the  column  moved — moved  like  some  great 
being  with  furrowed  ranks  that  had  suddenly  been  given 
impetus.  The  review  over,  platoons  took  distance,  and 
the  Commander-in-Chief,  accompanied  by  his  staff,  in- 
spected each  line — hastily  of  course — and  the  dough- 
boys, standing  at  attention,  felt  sure  that  the  General  was 
merely  affording  each  man  an  opportunity  to  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  great  Commander-in-Chief. 

On  General  Pershing's  heels  came  members  of  his 
staff,  American  and  British  officers  and  finally  a  solitary 
field  clerk,  who  checked  the  name  of  each  unit  as  the 
General  turned  to  give  the  next  one  in  line  the  once-over. 

Enlisted  men  who  had  won  the  Distinguished  Service 
Cross  for  valorous  action  were  decorated  at  the  ceremony 
which  immediately  followed,  the  colors  of  the  111th  In- 
fantry being  used.  Sergeant  James  T.  Powell,  of  Com- 
pany C,  112th  Infantry,  the  only  man  in  the  112th  to  be 


FROM  BUXIERES  TO  TRAVERON  393 

decorated,  was  not  present,  having  been  selected  a  few 
days  before  to  attend  the  A.  E.  F.  University  at  Beaune, 
and  so  the  presentation  of  the  D.  S.  C.  to  him  was  neces- 
sarily postponed  until  several  weeks  later. 
Powell's  citation  read : 

For  extraordinary  heroism  in  action  near  Fismette,  France, 
August  9,  191 8.  When  a  platoon  of  his  company  was  held  up  by 
sniper  fire.  Sergeant  Powell,  imdaunted,  voluntarily  crawled  through 
holes  in  walls  and  over  roofs,  located  the  enemy  sniper  and  killed  him, 
enabling  the  platoon  to  proceed  without  further  loss.  Later  in  the 
engagement  when  reinforcements  and  ammunition  were  needed,  he 
volunteered  and  swam  the  Vesle  River  under  machine  gun  fire. 

Meanwhile,  movie  men  and  a  half-dozen  photog- 
raphers with  Graflex  cameras  were  not  idle.  They 
snapped  Pershing  and  his  staff  a  dozen  times — and  then 
some  more;  every  time  he  inspected  a  line  of  rigidly 
standing  soldiers  a  camera  would  click — and  the  line  of 
fighting  men  and  the  General  became  a  part  of  some 
photograpliic  record. 

Overhead  the  aeroplanes  continued  to  maneuver,  now 
flying  five  in  a  group,  now  ten,  then  sideslipping,  somer- 
saulting and  doing  a  score  of  stunts  and  keeping  the 
doughboys  interested  every  minute.  Several  machines 
swooped  low — so  low  in  fact  that  the  few  spectators 
scrambled  to  a  safer  spot,  and  even  movie  machines  in 
the  aeroplanes  were  seen  to  photograph  the  long  sta- 
tionary column. 

So  from  the  air,  from  the  sidelines,  and  from  all  sides, 
the  review  by  General  Pershing  of  the  28th  Division 


394  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

became  a  pictorial  as  well  as  a  human  record.  Officers 
and  men  will  long  remember  the  spectacular,  most  im- 
pressive features,  as  well  as  General  Pershing's  address 
to  officers  and  non-coms,  telling  them  that  another  six 
weeks  or  so  would  see  them  sailing  home. 

The  General's  prediction  as  to  the  sailing  program, 
as  events  later  proved,  was  a  good  guess  at  that  time; 
in  fact,  as  early  as  March  3d  the  word  had  gone  through- 
out the  regiment  that  in  "  two  months  we  will  be  back  in 
God's  country  " — a  remark  which  some  attributed  to 
Colonel  Rickards. 

So  while  the  boys  read  the  New  York  Herald  and 
the  Daily  Mail  (Paris  editions)  each  day,  scanned  the 
columns  for  some  ray  of  light  as  to  how  the  ships  were 
speeding  other  doughboys  home,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and 
doughboy  entertainers  were  doing  their  best  in  the  even- 
ing to  keep  the  men  in  fine  fettle.  Barns  became  the- 
atres overnight ;  hay  mows  became  reserved  seats,  and,  in 
spite  of  the  cool  weather,  a  motion-picture  show,  travel- 
ing on  a  Ford  truck,  was  always  the  signal  for  the  entire 
doughboy  population  of  the  French  village  to  turn  out 
and  pack  the  barn. 

During  the  stay  in  the  Meuse  valley  the  112th  young- 
sters had  the  opportunity  of  enjoying  some  of  the  best 
of  shows  then  traveling  throughout  the  Toul  area. 
One  of  the  most  enjoyed  was  that  of  the  28th  Division 
Troupe,  of  which  Granville  Lane,  Nathan  Cohen,  John 
SuiTa  and  Hugh  King,  of  our  own  regiment,  had  become 
members.    It  is  a  part  of  the  history  of  those  armistice 


FROM  BUXIERES  TO  TRAVERON  395 

days  in  France  that  the  success  of  the  28th  Division 
shows  spread  the  fame  of  the  Keystone  outfit,  and  so 
when  it  took  up  its  tour  in  Pennsylvania  after  days  in 
France  had  been  forgotten,  it  was  accorded  a  warm 
reception. 

Traveron,  with  a  splendidly  constructed  barn,  soon 
boasted  the  best  opera  house  in  the  112th  area,  and  the 
storv  of  the  "  first  nio^hter  "  there  is  a  classic.  A  score 
of  officers,  four  hundred  cheering  doughboys  and  prac- 
tically the  entire  French  civilian  population  of  Traveron 
saw  the  Headquarters  Company  show  on  the  night  of 
the  opening.  The  weather  was  anything  but  agreeable, 
but  that  didn't  matter ;  that  first  night  was  a  great  success. 

A  week  before  the  Traveron  Theatre  had  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  the  biggest,  coldest  and  most  uncomfortable 
barn  in  the  little  town ;  then  it  became  the  most  cheerful 
place  in  a  circle  of  five  miles.  To  be  sure,  the  weather 
hadn't  moderated  much  from  the  near-to-zero  tempera- 
tures of  several  nights  before,  but  the  excitement  of  see- 
ing a  real  first-class  production  in  your  "  own  home 
to^^Ti  "  in  France  enabled  one  to  forget  that  his  feet  were 
growing  cold. 

Early  in  the  week  the  pioneer  platoon  had  built  the 
stage  at  one  end  of  the  bam ;  others,  who  knew  something 
of  the  theatrical  game,  made  the  "  flies  "  and  "  drops  " 
and  arranged  the  curtain.  Even  enough  "  juice  "  was 
obtained  from  the  electric  line  into  Traveron  to  furnish 
the  electricity  for  two  lamps.  Some  thirty  candles  made 
splendid  footlights — and  the  performers  did  the  rest. 


3d6  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Everything  had  been  arranged  at  the  last  minute. 
Work  on  the  stage  was  not  completed  mitil  4  o'clock 
Satm'day  afternoon;  the  volunteer  actors  had  been  re- 
hearsing their  own  skits  for  two  days  only ;  but  even  lack 
of  preparation  had  little  to  do  with  the  success  of  the 
show.  It  was  a  whirlwind  from  the  start.  Officers  en- 
joyed the  fun  as  much  as  any  doughboy;  to  the  fellows 
in  the  little  village  of  a  dozen  barns  and  three  houses  it 
seemed  like  getting  back  home — only  there  was  no  ad- 
mission charged,  and  the  big,  fine-looking  sign  that  Bill 
Harding,  of  Elk  Lick,  painted,  designating  the  bam  as 
"  Theatre,"  really  meant  "  Welcome— Walk  Right  In  " 
to  every  doughboy  who  came  along  the  broad  highway. 

Promptl}^  at  7.30,  following  an  overture  by  the  112th 
Infantry  "  jazz  "  orchestra,  with  Major  Olmes  as  con- 
ductor, the  "  big  show  "  was  on  and  the  first  laughs  got 
going. 

"  I  want  you  to  be  easy  with  the  fellows  who  put  on 
this  show,"  Captain  Paul  E.  Ziegler,  of  the  Headquar- 
ters Company,  announced,  "  for  they  have  not  had  much 
time  to  rehearse." 

But  his  words  were  almost  unnecessary,  for  every 
act  was  cheered — not  jeered;  and  there  were  laughs 
where  groans  might  have  been  had  the  production  not 
measured  up  to  standard.  For  a  doughboy  theatre- 
goer is  a  harsh  critic  in  his  way,  and  the  fact  that  every 
act  went  big  on  the  opening  night  at  the  Traveron  The- 
atre is  the  best  evidence  in  the  world  that  there  was  plenty 
of  undiscovered  talent  in  the  company,  and  some  of  it 


FROM  BUXIERES  TO  TRAVERON  397 

was  clearly  in  evidence  on  the  memorable  night  of  Feb- 
ruary 1st. 

The  laughs  started  with  the  clever  act  by  Lacey  and 
Dorgan,  Scotch  and  English  comedians.  When  it 
comes  to  getting  Scotch  and  English  costumes  for  dough- 
boys who  carry  all  their  personal  possessions  in  the  haver- 
sack on  their  back,  it  is  some  proposition — but  there  was 
the  Scotch  kilt  that  Lacey  wore,  and  his  legs,  too,  were 
just  as  bony-looking  as  any  Highlander's.  William 
Lacey  hails  from  Harrisburg  and  Richard  Dorgan,  who 
made  good  as  an  Englishman,  used  to  be  a  Bronx  re- 
porter for  the  New  York  Sun,  morning  edition.  Lacey 
made  a  hit  with  his  Scotch  song,  "  I'm  Absolutely  Full," 
and  Dorgan  got  the  entire  house  to  pipe  in  on  the  refrain, 
"  We  Want  to  Go  Home."  It  was  the  first  time,  border 
vets  say,  that  the  song  has  been  sung  with  the  gusto  that 
was  manifested  that  night. 

The  musical  four — George  Johnston,  guitar ;  Silvan 
HiUiard,  mandolin;  Major  Olmes,  violin,  and  Earl 
Steinbrook,  flute — followed  up  with  three  timely  selec- 
tions that  won  applause.  It  was  the  first  time  that  the 
quartet  had  appeared  in  pubhc  since  the  trying  days  at 
Dravegny. 

Then  act  three  was  another  laugh.  "  Schooldays  " 
was  a  "  go  "  from  the  time  "  Stix  "  Fidler,  of  Reading, 
stumbled  onto  the  stage,  until  "  Percival  "  Reynolds 
came  in  with  a  bouquet  whicli  he  would  like  to  have 
handed  to  his  "  dear  teacher."  Each  of  the  five  principals 
in  the  act,  which  was  replete  with  new  jokes  and  com- 


398  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

pany  hits,  was  at  his  best  and  they  could  not  have  been 
better.  Those  who  took  part  were:  Jonas  A.  Castle, 
playing  "  Spikey,"  the  roughneck;  Strayer  Reynolds,  in 
the  role  of  Percival ;  George  Fidler,  of  Reading,  equally 
capable  as  an  ambitious  schoolboy  as  he  is  in  the  cook 
detail;  Abe  Greenstein,  the  incomparable  schoolteacher; 
Fred  Knell,  of  Pottsville,  who  didn't  have  any  use  for 
mollycoddles.  Songs,  jokes  and  the  absence  of  slap- 
stick comedy,  which  might  have  been  expected,  went  far 
to  make  the  act  a  success. 

Ivor  Griffith,  of  Mahanoy  City,  sang  **  The  Sunshine 
of  Your  Smile  "  and  "  Joan  of  Arc,"  and  received  appre- 
ciative applause  for  each;  George  Bowman,  of  New 
York  City,  who  used  to  tickle  the  ivories  in  one  of  the 
theatres  of  the  metropolis,  was  "  right  there  "  when  it 
came  to  popular  ragtime  and  a  new  rendition  of  "  The 
Old  Gray  Mare,"  this  time  on  the  piano.  Bowman,  too, 
played  the  piano  accompaniment  for  all  the  song  hits 
of  the  evening. 

In  the  opinion  of  the  doughboys,  however,  "  Room 
44,  Hotel  de  Luxe,"  featuring  Francis  Maloney  and 
James  Beighley  as  the  blackface  warriors  from  the  firing 
line,  and  Daniel  Isles,  of  Waterford,  as  the  ambitious 
hotel  keeper,  was  the  biggest  hit  of  all.  From  the  time 
the  curtain  went  up  until  the  two  blackface  fighters  from 
No  Man's  Land  had  been  scared  out  of  the  hotel,  there 
was  one  howl  after  another.  Soldiers,  perched  like 
pigeons  on  the  brick  wall  far  in  the  rear  of  the  barn, 
laughed  until  it  seemed  they  would  tumble  off,  while  the 


FROM  BUXIERES  TO  TRAVERON  399 

200  or  more  youngsters  in  the  big  haystack  forgot  all 
about  the  rumors  of  moving  or  staying  in  France,  as  they 
watched  Beigliley  and  IVIaloney. 

The  clever  touch  of  the  comedian  was  evident  even  in 
their  dress,  and  each  wore  a  miiform  that  was  a  cross 
between  an  American  outfit,  German  equipment  and 
French  apparel,  and  Maloney  had  enough  service  stripes 
and  bars  to  have  participated  in  all  the  battles  of  this  and 
all  the  wars  preceding  it  for  the  past  hundi'cd  years. 

Colonel  Rickards,  who  was  among  those  in  "  officers' 
row,"  apparently  enjoyed  the  soldiers'  production  as 
well  as  any  doughboy  there.  Captain  Ziegler  made  the 
announcement  of  each  act  and  was  in  charge  of  cere- 
monies; the  112th  band  played  two  selections,  and  the 
112th  orchestra,  which  furnished  the  overtures,  was  at  its 
best.  In  spite  of  the  bitter  cold  weather  that  greeted  the 
first  day  of  February,  the  boys  forgot  about  cold  feet  and 
enjoyed  the  fun  of  the  evening. 

So  it  was  that  the  Traveron  Theatre,  that  barren  barn 
of  other  days  and  once  the  home  of  the  band  until  the 
j^ortable  barracks  were  erected,  sprang  into  the  limelight. 
Days  afterward  a  nmnber  of  other  shows  were  staged 
there,  all  by  visiting  troupes,  however,  and  the  interest 
in  the  programs  grew  each  week,  until  the  time  arrived 
when  bookings  were  canceled  and  the  word  flashed  from 
Division  Headquarters  that  first  units  would  entrain 
]\Iarch  IGth  for  the  Le  Mans  area. 

Then  we  knew  that  we  were  on  our  way  to  the  coast 
at  last;  and  so  those  little  verses  which  had  been  wi'itten 


400  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

during  those  quiet  days  in  the  listless  valley  of  the  Meuse, 
unchanging  save  for  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  water  and 
the  diversified  weather  program,  were  to  become  part  of 
the  memories  of  "  up  the  line  "  in  France: 

Traveron,  old  Traveroiij 
Barns,  billets,  Meuse  and  all. 
With  rolling  fields  and  sloping  farms — 
To  us  these  things  appeal; 
Short  weeks  ago  we  met  you. 
As  packs  from  backs  we  threw; 
But  Traveron,  old  Traveron, 
We're  glad  we've  had  the  chance  to  say, 
"  Hello  and  howdy-do !  " 

Traveron,  old  Traveron, 
Simplicity's  your  name; 
On  maps  you  may  be  quite  ignored — 
To  us,  it's  in  the  game ; 
For  war  has  brought  the  little  towns. 
Those  shattered  bits  of  France, 
Into  the  record  of  our  lives — 
They're  homes  to  us  of  other  days. 
The  meeting's  been  by  chance. 

And  when  the  time  to  say  adieu 
Draws  near  and  we  depart; 
We'll  think  of  all  those  unknown  towns 
And  keep  them  close  at  heart; 
Then  from  some  old  familiar  shore. 
We'll  dream — and  wander  on. 
Keep  thinking  of  the  war-time  roads 
That  led  to  Traveron. 

Aboard  the  box  car  specials — in  which,  thank  good- 
ness, American-built  cars  predominated — the  regiment 


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FROM  BUXIERES  TO  TRAVERON  401 

entrained  on  IVIarch  ITtli,  I8th  and  19th  for  the  em- 
barkation area.  The  Headquarters,  Supply  and  Ma- 
chine Gun  Companies,  as  well  as  the  Sanitarj^  Detach- 
ment, got  away  late  on  the  night  of  the  17th;  the  1st 
Battalion  and  Regimental  Headquarters  left  Maxey  sur 
Vaise  at  10.55  on  the  morning  of  the  18th.  The  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  workers,  despite  the  blustery  morning  and  slight 
snowfall,  handled  the  long  lines  with  ease,  giving  each 
man  a  cup  of  hot  chocolate  and  a  package  of  cookies 
before  the  train  pulled  out. 

The  trip  to  Le  Mans  required  two  days  of  travel,  and 
the  schedule  for  our  section  read  something  like  this : 

March  18th — Left  Maxey  at  10.55  a.m.;  Bri9on,  3.50  p.m.;  Bar 
sur  Aube,  5.05  p.m.    Stop  for  supper  at  5.30. 

March  IQth — Bourges,  9-05  a.m.;  Vierzon,  10.20  a.m.;  Ville- 
franche,  11.50  a.m.;  Gievres,  1.45  p.m.;  St.  Aignan,  4.00  p.m.;  Mont- 
richard,  4.30  p.m. 

March  20th — Detraining  point  near  Le  Mans,  arrived  at 
2.30  A.M. 

Detraining,  fed  up  with  hot  coffee  and  a  sandwich 
by  the  Red  Cross,  we  tramped  through  the  mud  to  the 
tented  area  of  the  camp,  and  there  unslung  packs.  This 
place,  with  its  rain,  mud,  delousing  processes  and  end- 
less paper  work,  keeping  men  busy  day  and  night,  was 
to  remain  our  home  until  April  15th. 

The  tents  and  the  sand  reminded  us  somewhat  of 
Camp  Hancock.  Nights  were  cold  and  the  days  in- 
tensely warm.  Even  a  light  snow  fell  one  Sunday  morn- 
ing and  the  water  in  pails  was  frozen ;  four  hours  af ter- 
se 


402  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

ward  it  was  so  warm  that  enlisted  men  could  hardly 
wear  their  blouses. 

Drills  were  maintained  in  the  embarkation  camp  just 
as  they  were  at  Traveron  and  elsewhere  in  the  valley  of 
the  Meuse ;  discipline  was  even  more  strict,  for  the  camp 
officials  had  full  sway,  and  one  misstep  meant  a  hold-up, 
so  rumor  had  it,  for  the  entire  outfit.  So  everyone 
"  played  safe."  Though  the  quaint  little  city  of  Le  Mans 
was  less  than  five  miles  away,  there  were  but  three  days 
when  passes  were  given  to  enlisted  men,  and  that  was  the 
occasion  of  inter-division  athletic  events  and  special 
contests. 

Affairs  were  being  straightened  around  and  the  en- 
listed man  was  being  made  to  feel  more  at  home  in  the 
rush  and  hurry  of  a  camp  that  reminded  one  of  a  great 
factory,  when  General  Pershing's  commendation  of  the 
28th  Division,  expressing  liis  delight  at  the  review  of 
several  weeks  previous,  was  made  public.  More  than 
anything  else  of  those  first  days  at  Le  Mans  it  put  the 
men  in  good  spirits. 

That  letter,  as  published  to  all  units,  read : 

American  Expeditionary  Forces, 
Office  of  the  Commander-in-Chief, 

Chaumont,  March  21,  1919. 
Major  General  William  H.  Hay, 
Commanding  28th  Division, 
American  E.  F.,  France. 
My  dear  General  Hay: 

It  gives  me  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  to  congratulate  you  and 
through  you  the  officers  and  men  of  your  division  on  the  splendid 


FROM  BUXIERES  TO  TRAVERON  403 

showing  made  at  the  inspection  and  review  on  March  10th  at  Col- 
ombey-les-Belles.  The  appearance  and  equipment  of  the  troops  and 
also  the  condition  of  the  animal  transport  of  your  division  are  to  be 
highly  commended.  To  me  this  is  an  indication  of  that  same  high 
morale  in  your  command  which  it  possessed  while  in  the  fighting  line. 

Arriving  in  the  spring  of  IQIS  for  training  with  the  British,  the 
period  of  instruction  of  the  28th  Division  was  cut  short,  and  by  the 
middle  of  July  it  was  thrown  into  the  active  battle  to  take  part  in  the 
successful  Champagne-^Iarne  offensive.  For  nearly  two  weeks  the 
infantry  brigades  operated  under  French  and  other  divisional  com- 
manders, taking  part  in  the  Aisne-Marne  offensive  as  reserve  of  the 
3d  Division,  which  was  fighting  its  way  north  from  the  river.  On  the 
28th,  however,  the  division  was  regrouped  under  its  own  commander 
and  from  that  time  fought  as  a  unit. 

The  55th  Brigade  went  into  the  line,  relieving  the  39th  French 
Division  in  front  of  Cierges  and  the  Bois  de  Grimpettes,  where  after 
two  days'  severe  fighting  the  Ourcq  River  was  crossed,  and  the  town 
of  Cierges  was  entered.  On  the  night  of  August  6th,  the  division 
returned  to  the  battle  in  the  Fismes  sector  along  the  southern  bank 
of  the  Vesle  River.  From  this  time  until  its  relief  on  the  night  of 
September  7th  by  a  French  division,  it  was  continuously  engaged 
in  small  local  fights,  in  the  course  of  which  the  river  west  of  Fismes 
was  crossed  and  the  town  of  Fismette  was  occupied.  After  a  short 
period  for  resting  and  refitting,  it  entered  the  great  Meuse-Argonne 
offensive  as  the  center  division  of  the  First  Corps.  It  attacked  on 
the  morning  of  the  26th  and,  until  relieved  on  the  night  of  October 
8th,  was  in  continuous  action,  advancing  ten  and  one-half  kilometers 
against  strong  enemy  resistance  and  capturing  among  other  towns 
those  of  Varennes  and  Apremont.  On  October  l6th  it  was  again 
placed  in  the  line — this  time  in  the  Toul  sector  near  Thiaucourt. 
From  this  position  it  attacked  on  November  10th  and  was  advancing 
when  hostilities  were  suspended. 

In  view  of  this  record,  the  officers  and  men  of  the  28th  Division 
may  proudly  carry  home  with  them  the  gratitude  of  the  Allies  with 


404  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

whom  they  fought  and  the  pride  of  their  fellows  throughout  our 
forces.  I  want  them  to  know  of  my  own  appreciation  of  the  part 
they  have  played  in  the  victories  which  are  to  the  credit  of  Ameri- 
can arms.  r,*  ^ 

Sincerely  yours,        j^^^  j   Pehshino. 

Ten  days  later,  while  preparations  went  forward  to 
get  the  division's  paper  work  into  such  condition  that  it 
could  be  O.  K.'d  and  the  word  given  for  units  to  move  to 
the  seacoast  and  embark  for  home,  General  Bullard 
addressed  a  splendid  letter  to  the  Commanding  General 
of  the  28th  Division,  calling  the  Keystone  outfit  "  an  A-1 
shock  diinsion."    It  read: 

Headquarters  Second  Army, 
American  Expeditionary  Forces, 
Office  of  Commanding  General. 

TouL,  France,  2  April,  1919- 
From:  Commanding  General,  Second  Army. 
To:  Commanding  General,  28th  Division, 
Subject:  Operations  of  28th  Division. 

1.  Upon  the  departure  of  the  28th  Division  from  the  Second 
Army  for  return  to  the  United  States,  I  desire  to  express  my  sincere 
appreciation  of  the  work  of  this  division  while  under  my  command. 
This  division  has  served  in  all  of  the  larger  major  operations  of  the 
final  year  of  this  war,  such  as : 

CHAMPAGNE-MARNE  Defensive  (15  July-18  July). 
AISNE-MARNE  Offensive  (23  July-31  July). 
FISMES  Sector  (7  August-17  August). 
OISE-AISNE  (18  August-8  September). 
MEUSE-ARGONNE  (26  September-9  October). 
THIAUCOURT  Sector  (l6  October-11  November). 

2.  On  July  15  this  division  assisted  in  stopping  the  great  Ger- 
man drive  south  of  the  Marne  and  in  the  Aisne-Marne  Offensive, 
operating  under  French  and  American  Corps,  pushed  forward  to  the 


FROM  BUXIERES  TO  TRAVERON  405 

Vesle  River,  where  at  Fismes  it  held  a  sector  for  more  than  a  month 
of  continuous  fighting.  During  this  time  the  28th  Division  was 
operating  under  my  command  in  the  Third  Corps  and  under  my  direc- 
tion this  division  established  and  held  two  bridgeheads  across  the 
Vesle  River.  During  this  continuous  fighting  at  the  Vesle,  and  the 
subsequent  advance  towards  the  Aisne,  this  division  bore  the  brunt 
of  the  fighting,  for  it  was  in  front  of  this  division  that  tlie  enemy 
was  making  his  strongest  resistance.  After  being  relieved  from  the 
Vesle  on  September  8,  this  division  moved  into  the  Argonne  Forest 
and  with  only  a  few  days'  rest,  went  into  the  great  Meuse-Argonne 
battle,  which  resulted  in  the  signing  of  the  Armistice.  The  work  of 
this  division  in  this  offensive  is  too  well  known  for  me  to  recount  at 
length,  but  such  names  as  VARENNES,  ARGONNE  FOREST, 
APREMONT,  CHATEL  CHEHERY  and  MONTBLAINVILLE 
are  written  in  history  after  the  name  of  the  28th  Division.  After 
serving  in  this  great  offensive  for  thirteen  days,  this  division  was  re- 
lieved and  sent  to  the  then  quiet  Thiaucourt  Sector  for  rest,  but,  al- 
though the  division  was  tired  and  worn  out,  its  indomitable  spirit  arose 
and  the  Thiaucourt  Sector  was  changed  from  a  quiet  sector  into  an 
active  one. 

3.  During  the  many  operations  in  which  this  division  was  en- 
gaged, many  prisoners,  both  officers  and  men,  and  much  material  were 
captured.  From  the  signing  of  the  Armistice,  during  a  period  of 
trying  waiting,  the  28th  Division's  interest  has  not  flagged;  its  ap- 
pearance, condition  and  state  of  military  preparedness  has  steadily 
improved  and  upon  them  the  Commander-in-Chief  has  congratulated 
the  division.  The  fighting  spirit  of  the  28th  Division  is  shown  by  its 
casualty  list  which  is  fourth  among  the  divisions  of  the  American 
Expeditionary  Forces.  This  division  has  always  been  a  combat  divi- 
sion in  every  sense  of  the  word,  and  in  my  belief  should  be  classed 
as  an  A-1  Shock  Division.  I  desire  to  extend  my  most  sincere  con- 
gratulations to  the  officers  and  men  of  this  division,  which  has  in  its 
operations  exemplified  tlie  fighting  spirit  of  the  American  troops.  I 
again  extend  to  you  all  my  most  sincere  congratulations  and  best 
wishes. 

(Signed)  R.  L.  Bullard, 
Lieutenant  General,  U.  S.  A. 


406  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

So  with  fighting  days  all  but  a  memory;  with  work 
rapidly  progressing  toward  the  final  jmnp-off ,  and  with 
but  one  thought  uppermost,  of  getting  overseas  and  get- 
ting a  glimpse  of  the  American  shore  line  once  more,  it 
seemed  mighty  good  to  know  that  such  officers  as  Gen- 
eral Pershing  and  the  Commanding  General  of  the 
Second  Army  thought  well  of  the  28th. 

To  us,  the  living,  it  seemed  that  all  our  hardships 
were  worth  while;  and  in  those  days,  when  we  seemed 
midway  between  the  life  of  up  the  line  and  the  coming 
happiness  of  being  home  again,  we  thought  solemnly 
now  and  then  of  the  buddies  who  still  were  sleeping  and 
who  wouldn't  cross  with  us  this  time. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  BAND'S  ROLE  IN  THE  WAR 

Playing  Stretcher-Bearer  During  Shellfire — Days  About 
Fismes — Sharing  Burdens  of  the  Hike  With  Other  Dough- 
boys— Winning  Gold  Medal  for  Playing  at  Le  Mans 
and  Getting  Monte  Carlo  Trip  in  28th  Division  Contest. 

From  acting  as  stretcher-hearers  during  the  first 
*'  hellfire  "  days  at  Fismes  to  winning  a  gold  medal  for 
playing  better  than  nine  other  division  bands,  and  then 
awarded  a  trip  to  the  Riviera  and  Monte  Carlo  because 
it  proved  itself  to  be  the  best  band  in  the  28th  Division, 
may  seem  a  long  stretch  of  history  for  any  musical  or- 
ganization. But  for  the  112th  Infantry  band,  rated  as 
one  of  the  finest  doughboy  musical  organizations  in  the 
A.  E.  F.,  it  was  all  in  the  day's  work. 

All  along  the  trail,  from  the  home  station  at  Oil  City 
to  the  training  days  at  Hancock,  from  the  British  train- 
ing area  to  those  days  with  the  French ;  into  the  Argonne 
and  out,  their  musical  fame  had  spread.  At  Fismes  and 
in  that  vicinity  they  put  aside  their  instruments  and  ren- 
dered valuable  service  as  stretcher-bearers.  And  so  it  is 
believed  that  no  history  of  the  112th  Regiment  would  be 
complete  without  some  story  of  what  Roy  Miller's  musi- 
cians accomplished  overseas. 

From  the  day  it  led  the  way  to  the  Oil  City  station, 
playing  "  The  Old  Gray  INIare  "  for  the  first  stage  of  the 
trip  to  Camp  Hancock,  until  as  on  many  another  occa- 

407 


408  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

sion,  it  was  playing  "  The  Star-Spangled  Banner  "  with 
the  last  guns  being  fired  November  11th,  the  band  was 
**  right  there  "  with  the  doughboys. 

When  dreary  days  of  routine  threatened  to  create 
an  atmosphere  of  homesickness,  when  the  hikes  became 
*'  dragg}%"  when  doughboy  "  pep  '*  was  at  low  ebb,  it  was 
the  band  that  put  new  cheer  into  the  fellows  who  were 
making  history  around  Chateau- Thierry,  Fismes  or 
elsewhere. 

Not  only  did  they  let  the  people  of  France  know  that 
they  could  play,  as  was  evidenced  by  their  concerts  at 
Tremblay,  the  march  through  Montfirmail  and  the  treats 
at  Louvres  and  La  Tretoire,  but  in  the  first  days  around 
Fismes  every  last  one  of  the  band  boys  proved  his  mettle 
as  a  stretcher-bearer  under  fire.  There  wasn't  a  man  who 
shirked.  With  German  6-inchers  whistling  around,  with 
roadways  being  pocketed  by  one  barrage  after  another, 
it  was  the  band  boys  who  were  lending  a  hand  and  carry- 
ing the  wounded  back  to  a  dressing  station. 

It  was  on  the  Aquitania,  princess  among  ocean-going 
vessels,  that  the  112th  band  was  accorded  new  honors  and 
made  an  enviable  reputation  for  itself.  Hardly  had  the 
big  vessel  cleared  port  than  the  band  was  giving  an  after- 
noon and  often  a  morning  concert  for  the  benefit  of  more 
than  6000  doughboys  aboard.  At  night,  when  the  officers 
gathered  in  the  palatial  smoking  room  of  the  Aquitania, 
it  was  the  112th  band  which  was  there  to  furnish  the 
music.    Night  after  night  the  boys  played. 

A  special  program  was  arranged  for  the  evening  of 


THE  BAND'S  ROLE  IN  THE  WAR  409 

May  11,  when  a  number  of  vaude\'ille  acts  were  intro- 
duced ;  the  band,  as  on  many  other  occasions,  proved  its 
value  then.  The  night  before  landing  at  Liverpool  it 
gave  this  splendid  program,  copies  of  which  are  now 
being  treasured  by  those  who  were  members  of  the  outfit : 

March — "  Happy  Go  Lucky." 

Overture—"  Wiliiam  Tell." 

Badinage — Victor  Herbert. 

Waltz — "  The  Passing  of  Salome." 

Vocal  solo — "  We're  Going  Over,"  by  John  Surra. 

Selection—"  The  Fortune  Teller." 

Dance  of  the  Hours  (La  Gioconda). 

Descriptive — "  A  Vision  of  Salome." 

March — "  Stars  and  Stripes  Forever." 

Then,  when  at  4  o'clock  the  following  afternoon  the 
Headquarters  Company  led  the  way  from  the  ship 
through  the  streets  of  Liverpool,  despite  heavy  packs  and 
extra  equipment,  the  band  boys,  playing  the  miracle 
game  again,  swung  into  "  The  Wallabies  "  with  more 
enthusiasm  than  ever  before,  playing  away  with  such 
spirit  that  every  man  who  marched  could  feel  his  hair 
tingle ;  then,  as  the  crowds  cheered,  as  factory  employees 
by  the  score  hurried  into  the  street,  "  The  Old  Gray 
Mare,"  time-honored  but  never  time-worn,  sounded  the 
keynote  of  victory,  and  the  column  turned  into  the  rail- 
road yards,  there  to  halt  and  board  the  compartment 
coaches  for  a  whirlwind  trip  across  England.  It  had 
been  "  The  Old  Gray  ^lare  "  that  sounded  the  farewell 
to  Camp  Hancock;  now  it  was  saying  hello  to  old 
England. 


410  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

It  might  be  well  at  this  time  to  give  the  names  of  the 
musicians  who  were  in  the  organization  when  it  left  Oil 
City,  and  who,  with  the  exception  of  Roy  Johnston, 
drmnmer,  discharged  at  Camp  Hancock  and  replaced 
by  Charles  H.  Kopp,  of  Tremont,  Pa.,  and  Mail  Order- 
lies Brakeman  and  Small,  constituted  the  overseas  112th 
band. 

Band  Leader,  Roy  M.  Miller,  Lake,  Ohio,  clarinet. 

Assistant  Band  Leader,  Ralph  A.  Van  Wye,  Niles,  Ohio,  clarinet. 

Sergeant  Bugler,  Harry  L.  McKelvey,  Fredonia,  N.  Y.,  cornet. 

First  Duty  Sergeant,  George  R.  Johnston,  Reynoldsville,  Pa., 
trombone. 

Band  Sergeant,  Frederick  W.  Thorn,  Oil  City,  Pa.,  bass. 

Band  Sergeant,  John  R.  Johnston,  of  Reynoldsville,  bass. 

Band  Corporal,  James  G.  Beighley,  Oil  City,  Pa.,  trombone. 

Band  Corporal,  Milam  E.  T.  Jordan,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  cornet. 

Band  Corporal,  Leonard  Rumburd,  Oil  City,  Pa.,  trombone. 

Musician  1st  Class,  Harland  C.  Mitchell,  Knox,  Pa.,  drums. 

Musician  1st  Class,  Francis  B.  Maloney,  Du  Bois,  Pa.,  cornet. 

Musician  2d  Class,  Russell  R.  Buckham,  Oil  City,  clarinet. 

Musician  2d  Class,  George  H.  Winger,  Oil  City,  Pa.,  clarinet. 

Musician  2d  Class,  John  W.  Surra,  Bradford,  Pa.,  flute. 

Musician  2d  Class,  Granville  B.  Lane,  Oil  City,  Pa.,  horn. 

Musician  2d  Class,  William  R.  Trembath,  Cleveland,  O.,  baritone. 

Musician  3d  Class,  Warren  W.  Brakeman,  Oil  City,  trombone. 

Musician  3d  Class,  Rush  W.  Felt,  Franklin,  clarinet. 

Musician  3d  Class,  Clarence  A.  Hall,  Oil  City,  clarinet. 

Musician  3d  Class,  William  E.  Harding,  Elk  Lick,  Pa.,  drums. 

Musician  3d  Class,  Coulter  H.  Hoffman,  Rocky  Grove,  Frank- 
lin, trombone. 

Musician  3d  Class,  Daniel  J.  Isles,  Waterford,  N.  Y.,  cornet. 

Musician  3d  Class,  Leroy  E.  Johnston,  Oil  City,  drums. 

Musician  3d  Class,  George  Victor  Kohlman,  Oil  City,  cornet. 

Musician  3d  Class,  Frank  E.  Lane,  Oil  City,  horn. 


THE  BAND'S  ROLE  IN  THE  WAR  411 

Musician  3d  Class,  James  M.   Mitchell,  Reynoldsville,  cornet. 
Musician  3d  Class,  Claude  R.  Moore,  Oil  City,  cornet. 
Musician  3d  Class,  Donald  Major  Olmes,  Oil  City,  horn. 
Musician  3d  Class,  Chester  A.  Small,  Oil  City,  cornet. 
Musician  Sd  Class,  John  R.  Yorke,  Oil  City,  clarinet. 

Then  came  the  first  training  days  with  the  British; 
special  concerts  for  the  American  and  Alhed  officers, 
evening  concerts  in  the  little  villages  of  Seninghem, 
Bayenghem  and  elsewhere — concerts  that  brought  back 
memories  of  playing  and  training  days  at  Camp 
Hancock. 

On  the  long  three-day  hike  the  band  boys,  heading  the 
colunm,  proved  real  heroes ;  not  only  did  they  carry  their 
heavy  packs,  but  their  instruments  as  well,  and  when  they 
got  to  Wavrans  they  pitched  tents  and  slept  beside 
the  fellow^s  who  were  to  go  over  the  top  in  the  days 
yet  to  come. 

Days  with  the  French  at  Tremblay  and  near  Paris, 
about  Louvres  and  then  at  La  Tretoire  and  Bussieres, 
south  of  the  Marne,  were  repetitions  of  the  old-time  slo- 
gan that  the  band  is  the  gloom-killer  in  a  regiment  of 
doughboys.  From  playing  reveille  and  retreat,  to  giving 
evening  concerts  and  fulfilling  engagements  not  on  the 
regular  progi'am,  the  112tli  band  sui'ely  made  an  envi- 
able impression. 

The  first  hospital  engagement  in  France — in  fact, 
the  first  concert  of  any  kind  after  crossing  the  Channel — 
was  given  on  May  18th  at  the  Calais  Hospital,  where  a 
large  nmnber  of  Canadian  and  British  soldiers,  fresh 


412  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

from  the  Armentieres  and  Hazebrouck  sector,  were  re- 
cuperating. Two  nights  before,  enemy  aircraft  had 
bombed  the  place,  and  the  band  boys  evidenced  more  than 
ordinary  curiosity  in  inspecting  the  shell  holes  and  the 
damage  that  had  been  done. 

After  the  record  march  from  Bussieres  to  Fays  Farm 
early  on  the  morning  of  July  4th,  when  it  was  thought 
the  Germans  were  getting  ready  to  cross  the  Marne,  in- 
struments were  turned  in ;  and  until  early  in  October  the 
band  said  good-bye  to  practice  days. 

From  that  time  on  they  were  simply  doughboys, 
trudging  along  with  their  packs,  sharing  in  discomforts, 
sensations  and  experiences  of  all  other  men  in  the  Head- 
quarters Company;  in  fact,  they  had  been  doing  that  all 
along.  Then  came  the  fly-by-night  moves  south  of  the 
Marne,  days  at  Chamblon,  Charly-sur-Marne  and 
through  Chateau- Thierry.  When  the  regiment  went  into 
position  on  the  slopes  south  of  Chery  Chartreuve  and  the 
battalions  moved  into  place  for  the  crossing  of  the  Vesle 
at  Fismes,  on  August  7th,  the  entire  band  was  taken  for- 
ward— stretchers  gave  place  to  band  instruments  of  other 
days ;  and  the  fellows  proved  real  heroes  under  fire. 

Through  machine  gun  bullets,  6-inch  shells  and  trench 
mortars  with  which  the  Huns  contrived  to  devastate  the 
ranks,  the  band  boys  got  through  it  all,  carrying  their 
wounded  in  safety  to  the  nearest  dressing  station.  At 
all  times  during  August  7th,  8th  and  9th,  they  were  under 
heavy  shellfire,  the  remarkable  feature  is  that  not  one 
was  killed  or  wounded. 


THE  BAND'S  ROLE  IN  THE  WAR  413 

It  remained  for  Francis  Maloney,  in  celebration  of 
the  end  of  the  war  on  November  11th,  to  get  shghtly 
wounded  in  the  forehead  when  the  exploding  cap  of  a 
shell  let  go  hardly  an  hour  after  the  last  gun  was  fired. 

Then,  when  the  regiment  was  sent  into  the  Fismes 
district  for  a  second  time,  during  the  period  from  August 
18th  to  September  7th,  members  of  the  band  served  as 
runners,  again  playing  their  part  under  shellfire.  Even 
Chief  Musician  Rov  Miller,  who  knew  more  about  music 
and  how  to  teach  it  than  all  the  other  band  leaders  in 
France,  the  boys  declare,  served  as  telephone  orderly. 

It  was  while  serving  in  such  a  capacity  that  Roy  Mil- 
ler wrote  that  battle  march  with  a  real  swing  to  it, 
"  Dravegny,"  later  to  be  christened  as  "  The  Heroes  of 
Fismes." 

The  relief  from  the  Vesle  sector  having  been  effected 
and  the  march  to  the  Bois  de  Boursault,  southwest  of 
Epernaj^  completed,  orders  came  to  increase  the  strength 
of  the  band  to  50  men;  so  eveiy  opportimity  was  then 
given  to  the  musicians  of  the  regiment — those  not  yet 
members  of  the  band — to  try  out  for  a  place  in  the  or- 
ganization. As  a  result,  there  were  new  names  in  addi- 
tion to  those  already  given,  and  among  these  were : 

Musicians  3d  Class:  Weston  W.  Ashenfelter,  Har- 
risburg;  Nathan  L.  Cohen,  Philadelphia;  Silvan  Hil- 
liard,  Oil  City;  William  Kniger,  Oklahoma;  Harry  L. 
Lukehart,  Punxsutawney;  Ray  A.  McCartney,  Hunt- 
ingdon; R.  H.  Pifer,  Du  Bois;  Theodore  Pottorf,  Du 
Bois;  E.  M.  Roberts,  Bradford;  Melvin  Shaffer,  Boiling 


414  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Springs;  Francis  M.  Whitaker,  Mahanoy  City,  Pa.; 
James  H.  Wilson,  Huntingdon;  Robert  Dickenson, 
Richmond,  111.,  and  Reed  Detar,  Oil  City. 

The  few  days  the  regiment  was  encamped  in  the  dis- 
trict east  of  Vitry-le-Fran9ois,  with  the  band  at  Maurupt, 
hopes  rose  then  that  the  coveted  instruments  would  soon 
arrive  and  days  of  practice  be  resimied,  but  before  the 
wagon  train  could  catch  up  the  entire  outfit  was  on  the 
long  trek  north,  32  kilos  the  first  night,  September  16th- 
17th,  to  the  woods  north  of  Lahey court;  then,  before 
anybody  could  get  a  good  rest  after  being  thirteen  hours 
on  a  steady  march,  word  came  for  an  additional  march 
the  night  of  the  17th-18th,  into  Bellefontaine.  Of  the 
enlarged  band,  only  eight  men  straggled  into  Bellefon- 
taine, the  httle  town  on  the  edge  of  the  Argonne,  at  4.30 
in  the  morning.  Permission  was  received  for  the  band 
to  remain  in  the  town  one  night,  and  so  it  was  not  until 
twenty-four  hours  later,  after  individual  visits  to 
stores  and  homes  of  the  town  for  food,  that  the  fighting 
musicians  were  on  their  way  up  through  the  Argonne 
Forest  itself. 

Meanwhile,  during  these  strenuous  days,  orders  from 
G.  H.  Q.  had  made  it  plain  that  musicians'  lives  were  not 
to  be  endangered  by  stretcher-bearing  duty  at  the  front — 
and  so  practice  days  began  in  earnest  in  the  shacks  near 
Croix  Pierre,  some  five  miles  north  of  Les  Islettes,  in  the 
heart  of  the  big  woods.  It  was  here,  on  September  26th, 
while  the  guns  roared  and  the  infantry  went  over  the  top 
and  kept  on  chasing  the  Hun,  that  the  band  played  at 


THE  BAND'S  RiL)LE  IN  THE  WAR  415 

practice  as  never  before — playing  Miller's  "  Heroes  of 
Fismes  "  with  more  vigor  than  ever,  and  putting  real 
pep  into  "  Stars  and  Stripes  Forever." 

Then  one  regiment  of  the  91st  Division  (colored) 
moved  in,  occupying  billets  near  the  band  boys,  and  the 
thirt3^-six-hour  stay  of  the  colored  brethren  proved  one 
round  of  amusement  after  another.  The  story  of  how 
they  lost  their  packs  in  the  pitch  darkness  of  the  Argonne 
night,  and  then  tried  to  exchange  them,  in  order  to  get  the 
'  right  one,  never  grows  old. 

The  colored  lads  turned  in  when  it  grew  dark — and  it 
is  dark  in  the  forest  before  5  o'clock.  Shortly  after, 
word  was  passed  to  roll  packs ;  then  when  it  was  so  dark 
nobody  could  see  and  after  they  had  nearly  fallen  asleep 
outside  the  few  sheds  in  which  they  were  housed,  ser- 
geants passed  the  order:  "  Unroll  packs,  take  any  one 
and  go  to  bed."  So  each  colored  fellow  took  any  pack  he 
could  get  and  turned  in  for  a  second  time. 

At  3  in  the  morning,  when  the  night  was  as  black  as 
every  one  of  the  soldiers  and  man  could  not  see  man,  the 
order  to  move  came.  They  didn't  feel  like  rolling  the 
other  fellow's  pack  in  the  dark  and  so  they  tried  to  ex- 
change them. 

"  All's  got  a  pack  with  two  dirty  socks,  underclothes, 
a  comb  and  a  razor;  whar's  mine?  "  shouted  one  fellow; 
and  another  cried  out,  "  Jus'  a  blanket  hyar,  with  a  towel, 

dirty  socks,  corned  beef "  and  so  it  went.     Several 

of  the  band  fellows  were  on  gas  guard,  and  they  had 
plenty  of  fun. 


416  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

The  darkies  lit  candles,  too,  to  help  things;  much 
against  the  rules  of  the  game  up  there,  where  no  lights 
were  permitted  at  night.    Half  of  the  candles  were  or- 
dered put  out ;  and  after  they  had  been  dimmed,  it  was 
only  a  few  minutes  until  they  were  going  full  blast  again  I 
Luckily  no  Hun  aeroplanes  came  peeking  around. 
"  What  outfit  is  this,  soldier?  "  another  one  asked. 
"  This  is  the  28th  Division,"  one  band  boy  replied. 
"  What  regiment,  though?  " 

"  The  112th — that's  ours.  I  suppose  you  are  here  to 
relieve  us." 

"  Ah  don't  mean  that — what  outfit  is  that  right  yar?  " 
"  Oh,  this  is  the  band,"  was  the  answer. 
"  Man,  that's  what  Ah  want  to  relieve — ah  want  to 
relieve  this  yar  band." 

The  days  of  life  in  the  Argonne  came  to  a  close  on 
October  9,  with  the  82d  Division  taking  over  the  28th's 
sector;  then  came  the  truck  ride  to  the  Commercy  dis- 
trict, a  few  days'  stop  at  Vignot,  a  concert  at  Mobile  Hos- 
pital 39  (where  the  first  American  nm*ses  were  seen  by 
the  band  fellows),  and  then  the  days  of  being  in  the 
Thiaucom't  sector — with  life  behind  the  lines  resumed  at 
Pannes,  so  far  as  the  band  fellows  were  concerned. 

The  city  hall  of  the  town  of  Pannes  then  became  a 
center  of  rehearsal  every  morning  for  Roy  Miller's  grow- 
ing musical  organization ;  and  the  days  at  Pannes,  with 
chances  to  patronize  the  Red  Cross,  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  K.  of  C. 
and  Salvation  Army,  were  among  the  most  pleasant  of 
any  up  the  line.    Playing  the  music  world's  best  in  the 


THE  BAND'S  RULE  IN  THE  WAR  417 

morning,  they  cleaned  up  the  streets  and  manure  piles 
of  the  town  in  the  afternoon. 

The  band  was  stationed  at  Pannes  when  the  word 
came  that  the  firing  would  cease  at  11  o'clock  the  morn- 
ing of  November  11— and,  as  has  already  been  stated,  it 
was  completing  a  concert  with  "  The  Star-Spangled 
Banner  "  when  the  last  gun  was  fired.  Maloney  entered 
into  the  celebration  that  followed  with  full  spirit,  and 
an  exploding  cap  of  a  shell,  thrown  into  a  bonfire,  hit 
him  above  the  eye,  inflicting  a  womid  that,  while  slight, 
was  sufficient  to  send  him  to  the  dressing  station  and 
later  to  the  field  hospital. 

On  the  night  of  November  12th  the  orchestra  section 
of  the  band  filled  an  engagement  in  the  Toul  opera  house, 
playing  for  a  vaudeville  show  given  by  the  aero  corps. 
The  trip  was  made  in  trucks,  and,  for  the  first  time  in 
many  months,  the  fellows  had  a  look  at  a  comparatively 
large  French  city. 

"  It  was  so  long  since  we  had  been  in  a  real  town,*' 
one  of  the  boys  said,  "  that  we  acted  like  a  lot  of  hicks 
from  the  coimtrj^  and  monopolized  the  sidewalks  and 
everything  else  in  sight." 

Orders  came  a  few  days  later  for  Chief  Musician  Roy 
Miller,  Assistant  Band  Leader  Ralph  Van  Wye  and 
Musician  Harland  Mitchell  to  report  to  the  A.  E.  F. 
band  school  at  Chaumont;  twe  weeks  later  word  came 
through  official  channels  that  the  last  two  had  been  per- 
manently assigned  to  Pershing's  band. 

Roy  Miller  returned  to  the  band  at  Traveron,  and 

87 


418  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

when  promotions  were  made  Milam  Jordan  was  made 
Assistant  Band  Leader.  "  Rip  "  Van  Wye  and  "Mitch" 
never  returned,  and  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  playing 
with  Pershing's  band  during  the  official  entry  of  the 
Allies  into  Metz,  at  the  Peace  Conference  in  Paris  and 
in  touring  America  in  the  interests  of  the  Victory  Loan. 

During  the  days  at  Buxieres  and  Traveron  the  band 
gave  a  splendid  account  of  itself,  always  willing  to  help 
out  at  Y.  M.  C.  A.  or  hospital  activities,  and  frequently 
going  by  trucks  in  the  rain  to  give  a  concert  in  some  area. 
It  was  during  the  stay  at  Traveron  that  the  band  entered 
into  the  contest  with  other  organizations  of  the  division 
and  won  the  Monte  Carlo  trip.  But  it  remained  for  Le 
Mans  to  produce  the  announcement  of  the  winning  band. 

Here  the  112th  band  went  into  the  contest  with  other 
musical  organizations — nine  in  all — from  other  divisions. 
For  three  days  the  boys  played,  rendering  concerts, 
jazzing  at  athletic  events  and  in  other  ways  competing 
with  the  bands  of  the  77th,  35th  and  28th  Divisions,  as 
well  as  that  of  the  Le  Mans  area.  There  were  several 
bands  from  the  77th  (New  York)  Division  there,  and 
the  307th  Infantry  Band  soon  acquired  some  renown  as 
one  of  the  best  drilled  bands,  in  point  of  maneuvering  on 
the  field,  that  officers  and  men  had  ever  seen.  Then  there 
was  the  crack  band  of  the  53d  Artillery  Brigade  and  the 
Le  Mans  area  had  its  own  band  on  hand.  All  were  in 
the  competition. 

Friday  afternoon,  March  28th,  the  112th  band  did  its 
bit.     It  played  Ackley's  "  Cedar  Point,"  the  splendid 


m* 


f  I  o 


C  •< 

'5    « 


0;  .-    . 
—  o< 

c  -;  t. 


—  it  - 


—  --^  ~ 


X 


^    §  2;  S 

X    ^  O  1.  s 

■^     .  ?;  »  e. 


i  — :  •.  IS 


n   ■-  X 


THE  BAND'S  ROLE  IN  THE  WAR  419 

march  that  has  hustled  many  a  doughboy  out  of  the  covers 
on  many  a  cold  morning;  its  lilting  swing  captivated  the 
judges  just  as  much  as  it  had  the  men  of  the  outfit  in  days 
gone  by.  Following  this  with  "  The  Barber  of  Seville  " 
and  "  The  Vision  of  Salome,"  the  band  had  completed 
only  half  of  its  original  program  when  a  young  Lieuten- 
ant, foremost  of  the  judges,  rushed  up  and  announced: 
"  Boys,  that's  enough;  you  needn't  play  any  more." 

There  were  some  in  the  band  who  thought  that  the 
judges  had  decided  the  organization  was  not  playing  up 
to  standard  and  might  as  well  stop,  knowing  full  well, 
however,  that  they  were  giving  one  of  the  best  concerts 
of  their  lives.  A  few  hours  later  the  news  spread  through- 
out Le  Mans  that  a  28th  Division  band  had  carried  off 
the  honors — more  particularly,  that  the  112th  Infantry 
band  was  the  one  to  get  the  gold  medal. 

So  in  the  "  Yankee  Division  "  hut  in  the  public  square 
of  the  city  of  Le  Mans  on  Sunday  evening,  March  30th, 
Major-General  G.  W.  Read,  in  command  of  the  Le 
Mans  forwarding  camp  area,  made  the  presentation  ad- 
dress, with  Charles  R.  INIott,  international  president  of 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  Miss  Margaret  Wilson,  daughter 
of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  also  assisting  in 
the  splendid  program. 

General  Read  congratulated  the  112th  band  boys  on 
their  splendid  work,  adding  that  they  had  proved  them- 
selves the  best  musical  organization  of  the  nine  compet- 
ing bands.  He  complimented  especially  the  band  leader 
and  his  assistant,  and  then  each  bandsman  "  passed  in 


420  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

review,"  grasping  General  Read  by  the  hand  immedi- 
ately following  the  presentation  of  the  gold  medal.  The 
trophy  itself,  twice  the  size  of  a  20-dollar  gold  piece,  is 
engraved  on  one  side,  "  Republique  Fran^aise,"  with  the 
head  of  France  in  bas-relief.  On  the  reverse  is  a  palm, 
encircling  the  space  in  which  will  be  carved  the  data  re- 
garding the  presentation. 

The  77th  Division  may  have  carried  oif  many  honors 
in  the  athletic  contests,  in  which  the  28th  Division  had 
few  entries,  but  the  whole  Keystone  outfit  was  happier 
than  in  a  long  while,  knowing  that  it  had  a  band  which 
could  play  its  way  to  fame. 

Just  before  the  band  boj^s  left  for  Monte  Carlo,  the 
following  commendation  from  Colonel  Rickards  was 
read  to  the  organization: 

I  wish  to  express  my  thanks  and  the  appreciation  of  the  entire 
membership  of  the  regiment  for  the  honor  and  distinguished  service 
rendered  by  your  organization. 

During  our  actions  in  battle,  you  have  rendered  most  valuable 
and  humane  services  by  tenderly  caring  for  the  wounded,  acting  as 
stretcher-bearers  and  performing  first-aid  assistance  to  those  vinable 
to  help  themselves.  No  doubt  many  lives  of  comrades  were  saved  by 
your  timely  and  fearless  action.  Performing  this  duty,  you  were 
subject  to  the  same  dangers  as  were  those  in  the  fighting  line;  but, 
unlike  them,  you  were  unarmed  and  practically  defenseless.  Yet  you 
performed  your  duty  to  humanity  with  a  disregard  for  your  personal 
safety  under  the  same  elements  of  destruction. 

On  the  march  your  music  has  been  as  a  beacon  to  the  weary- 
footed  soldier.  In  the  camp  or  billet  you  have  gladdened  and  raised 
the  spirit  of  your  comrades,  and  who  shall  say  that  your  sweet  music 
has  not  brought  back  to  many  a  despondent  one  the  awakening  of 
better  thoughts  and  a  stronger  determination,  not  only  in  the  charac- 


THE  BAND'S  ROLE  IN  THE  WAR  421 

teristics  of  the  soldier,  but  in  cleaner,  stronger  manhood  and 
citizenship. 

Your  attainment  in  winning  first  honors  so  far  above  all  com- 
petitors in  the  recent  band  contest  of  the  Le  Mans  sector,  in  which 
nine  bands,  selected  from  other  divisional  units,  competed,  is  most 
fitting  as  an  illustration  of  your  worth  as  a  musical  organization — an 
honor  that  gives  pleasure  to  all  in  the  regiment  and  who  are  justly 
proud  of  you. 

I  wish  to  express  my  thanks  for  the  additional  honors  you  have 
brought  to  tlie  regiment,  and  to  assure  you  of  my  high  personal  regard 
for  you  as  an  organization,  and  individually  as  soldiers  and  gentle- 
men in  whom  I  have  the  fullest  confidence. 

After  several  days'  delay,  the  entire  band  was  off  for 
Monte  Carlo,  baggage  in  a  special  box  car  and  the  party 
traveling  on  a  regular  passenger  train,  in  charge  of 
First  Lieut.  John  G.  Wiestling,  of  the  Headquarters 
Company.  The  delight  of  those  forty-two  boys  who  had 
won  the  gold  medal  at  Le  Mans  and  who  had  been 
awarded  the  trip  to  the  Riviera  for  proving  itself  the 
best  of  the  28th  Division  bands  hardly  knew  any  bounds, 

m 

and  the  "  jerkwater  express  "  that  took  them  to  the 
Mediterranean  in  four  days  was  excused  under  the 
circumstances. 

A  list  of  the  musicians  who  were  participating  in  the 
trip  and  who  had  a  big  share  in  winning  both  prizes, 
included : 

Band  Leader  Roy  M.  Miller,  Assistant  Band  Leader  Milam  E. 
T.  Jordan,  Sergeant  Bugler  Francis  B.  Maloney. 

Band  Sergeants  George  R.  Johnston,  Fred  W.  Thorn,  Frank  B. 
Lane  and  John  R.  Joluiston. 

Band   Corporals    James    C.    Beighley,    Leonard    R.    Rumburd, 


422  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

James  M.  Mitchell,  George  V.  Kohlman,  Daniel  J.  Isles  and  Russell 
R.  Buckham. 

First  Class  Musicians  Coulter  H.  HoflPman,  George  H.  Winger 
and  D.  Major  Olmes. 

Second  Class  Musicians  Robert  A.  Dickenson,  Nathan  Lightner, 
Reed  L.  Detar,  Clarence  A.  Hall,  Rush  W.  Felt,  Charles  H.  Kopp. 
William  E.  Harding,  Claude  R.  Moore,  Weston  W.  Ashenfelter. 

Third  Class  Musicians  Warren  W.  Brakeman,  Silvan  F.  Hilliard, 
William  E.  Krueger,  Harry  L.  Lukehart,  Ray  A.  McCartney,  Robert 
H.  Pifer,  Theodore  E.  Pottorf,  Charles  B.  Reynolds,  Edward  M. 
Roberts,  Melvin  E.  ShaflTer,  Earl  E.  Steinbrook,  Francis  M.  Whit- 
aker,  James  H.  White,  Amos  C.  Wessler,  Edward  W.  Baumann, 
Fletcher  E.  Mingus  and  Joseph  L.  Balbach. 

Musicians  Granville  B.  Lane,  John  W.  Surra  and  Nathan  L. 
Cohen,  members  of  the  band,  but  playing  in  the  28th  Division  Troupe 
orchestra  at  the  time,  did  not  participate  in  the  contest,  but  had  they 
been  there,  it  is  a  foregone  conclusion  they  would  have  done  as  splen- 
didly as  the  others,  contributing  their  full  share  toward  winning 
the  honors. 

The  112th  band  finally  reached  Monte  Carlo,  but 
when  it  got  there  the  baggage  car  had  gone  astray.  Not 
only  were  they  without  instruments,  but  all  their  per- 
sonal belongings,  battle-field  souvenirs,  and  extra  music 
were  missing.  Two  days  at  the  magnificent  city,  living 
like  kings ;  then  came  the  word  that  the  division  was  ready 
to  leave  Le  Mans.  Within  record  time  they  were  on 
their  way  back. 

It  is  a  part  of  the  history  of  the  last  days  in  France 
that  the  112th  band's  property  was  not  returned  to  them 
before  it  sailed.  Many  days  afterward,  when  they 
reached  the  United  States,  there  was  a  report  current  that 
it  had  been  located,  but  so  far  no  one  has  seen  anything 


THE  BAND'S  ROLE  IN  THE  WAR  423 

of  the  missing  instruments  or  baggage  on  this  side  of  the 
pond ;  and  that,  in  the  minds  of  the  doughboy  musicians 
who  lost  all  they  had,  is  what  counts  most.  The  value  of 
the  property  lost  ran  close  to  $8000,  and  many  of  the 
souvenirs  were  considered  priceless.  But  losing  baggage 
was  part  of  the  war  game  *'  over  there." 

Barracks  bags  that  were  "  parked  "  at  Calais  showed 
up  again  in  some  few  instances,  but  all  of  value  that 
many  of  them  contained  had  disappeared  "  somewhere 
in  France." 

No  doughboy  of  the  regiment  will  ever  forget  the 
band  nor  any  of  those  old  favorites,  "  The  Red  Cross 
March,"  "  The  Old  Gray  Mare,"  '*  Cedar  Point "  and 
a  half  dozen  others.  In  all  the  hikes,  in  all  the  soldiers' 
pleasures  and  pastimes,  the  band  had  a  prominent  part; 
it  helped  furnish  the  cheer  and  the  life  on  many  an  occa- 
sion, and  it  contributed  a  big  share  toward  keeping  the 
men  in  fine  fettle  for  the  great  moment  preceding  the 
jump-ofF.  The  112th  band  surely  shared  the  Great  Ad- 
venture in  France,  and  though  it  lost  none  in  killed  or 
wounded,  it  was  exposed  to  the  same  dangers  from  shell- 
fire,  and  bravely  stood  ready  to  do  its  part.  The  loss  of 
John  Yorke  at  Traveron  was  the  only  death  in  the 
organization. 

Few  tributes  to  any  organization  can  be  more  elo- 
quent of  the  spirit  of  appreciation  than  the  four  verses 
Harold  Willard  Gleason  wrote  of  "The  Windjammers," 
and  which  appeared  in  The  Stars  and  Stripes:  ^ 


424  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

They  sing  the  praise  of  infantry 

Which  messes  up  the  Hiins; 
And  also  of  artillery 

That  works  the  bloomin'  guns; 
The  engineers  and  cavalry 

And  aviators,  too; 
All  get  their  share  of  glory — 

And  they  earn  it,  very  true ; 
But  there's  one  branch  of  the  service 

They  never  think  to  praise. 
Though  deservin'  it  by  Pershing, 

In  a  hundred  different  ways. 

It's  the  windjammers,  the  windjammers. 

The  regimental  bands ; 
And  it's  many  men  are  thanking  God 

For  some  bass  drummer's  hands. 
For  they  help  to  carry  wounded 

When  the  bearers  ain't  about; 
Wlien  you  get  yours  in  No  Man's  Land 

The  wind  jams  pull  you  out. 

They're  a  scraggy  looking  outfit 

Of  all  sizes,  sorts  and  shapes. 
And  their  mouths  are  mostly  puckered 

Like  they're  eating  sour  grapes; 
But  they  cheer  us  to  the  trenches. 

Through  shrapnel,  mud  and  rain ; 
And  when  our  bit  is  over 

Sure  they  play  us  back  again. 

Oh,  the  windjammers,  the  windjammers, 

The  regimental  bands; 
You  can  see  the  shoulders  straighten 

As  we  pass  the  blowhards'  stands ; 
They  may  not  snipe  the  Fritzies 

And  they  may  not  cross  the  top ; 
But  when  the  cheer  stuff's  needed 

They  keep  playin'  till  they  drop. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

WHEN  PHILADELPHIA  PROVED  ITS  BROTHERLY  LOVE 

Last  Days  at  Le  Mans  and  St.  Nazaire — Bidding  Good- 
Bye  to  France  and  the  Cooties — Uneventful  Voyage  of  the 
Pocahontas  and  Mercury — Quaker  City's  Great  Ovation, 
April  30th— Muster  Out  Days  at  Camp  Dix  in  May. 

Memories  of  the  days  at  Le  Mans  are  centered 
mostly  on  the  three  visits  to  the  deloiising  plant,  which 
meant  death  to  all  cooties  that  had  accompanied  the 
troops  from  up  the  line ;  and  to  the  turning  in  of  surplus 
equipment  and  a  careful  check  on  just  w^hat  the  man  who 
belongs  to  an  infantry'-  organization  should  possess. 

Both  these  details  required  much  time  and  paper 
work,  and  there  were  few  who  found  things  very  easy. 
Even  the  buck  private,  who  is  usually  exempt  from  any 
interest  in  such  matters,  w^as  called  upon  to  help;  apd 
those  who  weren't  had  the  sometimes  unpleasant  assign- 
ment of  parading  in  blue  denims  and  performing  details 
in  one  section  of  the  camp  or  another. 

As  into  every  other  location  w^here  the  112th  young- 
sters had  gone  since  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  the 
expectation  was  that  the  stay  at  Le  Mans  would  be  very 
short.  Then  one  program  after  another  appeared,  and 
as  March  closed  and  April  dawned,  it  seemed  that  the 
stay  in  the  embarkation  area  would  exceed  in  length  any 
expectations. 

During  these  days,  with  the  certainty  that  it  could 


42«  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

be  no  more  than  a  month  before  a  start  was  made  for  the 
seacoast,  army  officers  outside  the  division  and  the  camp 
officials  made  every  effort  to  enlist  men  for  special  work 
as  mechanics,  clerks  or  military  police.  Early  in  April 
two  guard  companies,  known  as  130  and  131,  were  re- 
cruited for  the  purpose  of  looking  after  American  sup- 
plies in  Antwerp,  Belgium.  After  having  waited  for 
weeks  to  approach  the  seacoast,  the  ordinary  doughboy 
would  have  thought  such  an  inducement  would  fall  on 
deaf  ears,  and  vet  several  score  non-commissioned  officers 
and  privates  from  the  rank  and  file  of  the  regiment  cast 
their  lot  with  the  newly  organized  guard  companies,  the 
allurement  of  duty  in  such  a  city  as  Antwerp  undoubt- 
edly proving  too  strong  to  resist. 

Officers  who  volunteered  for  the  same  work  were 
Lieutenants  William  B.  Murray,  Carl  C.  Tinstman, 
Edwin  A.  Madden  and  Clarence  A.  Bentz.  The  entire 
contingent  said  au  revoir  to  their  buddies  on  April  3d, 
and  started  for  Belgium. 

In  a  heavy  rain,  making  impossible  any  inspection  on 
the  field,  the  complete  equipment  of  each  soldier  was 
rigidly  inspected  by  camp  officials  on  April  10th.  This 
final  check  was  all  that  was  necessary,  outside  of  the  offi- 
cial approval  of  sailing  lists  and  paper  work,  to  assure 
the  early  departure  of  the  regiment  for  one  of  the  sea- 
ports. In  fact,  it  was  reported  on  good  authority  then 
that  within  another  week  the  112th  would  be  in  St.  Na- 
zaire — a  prediction  that  was  borne  out. 


PHILADELPHIA'S  BROTHERLY  LOVE  427 

Officiating  for  the  last  time  as  Commanding  Gen- 
eral of  the  28th  Division,  Major-General  William  H. 
Hay,  on  April  11th,  at  one  of  the  most  impressive  field 
ceremonies  held  in  France,  decorated  the  colors  of  the 
109th,  110th,  111th  and  112th  Infantries;  107th,  108th, 
109th  Machine  Gun  Battalions;  107th,  108th  and  109th 
Field  Artillery  Regiments;  103d  Engineers  and  103d 
Field  Signal  Battalion.  The  formation  took  place  on 
the  broad  sandy  field  near  the  four  wooden  buildings 
housing  Division  Headquarters. 

The  scene  was  most  impressive  as  the  regimental  and 
battalion  colors  came  upon  the  field,  followed  by  seven 
squads  of  helmeted  doughboys — picked  men  who  had 
seen  the  hardest  of  the  service  up  the  line,  men  wounded 
in  action  for  the  most  part  and  those  unwounded  who 
had  taken  part  in  the  greatest  number  of  front-line 
engagements.  The  112th's  provisional  company 
was  commanded  by  Colonel  Rickards;  assisted  by 
Captain  Roy  R.  Kriechbaum  and  First  Lieutenant 
Ben  E.  Turner,  both  of  whom  wore  two  wound 
stripes. 

The  decoration  of  the  colors  was  only  part  of  the 
extensive  program,  a  number  of  Distinguished  Service 
Crosses,  Croix  de  Guerre  and  one  Belgian  Cross  being 
awarded.  The  ribbons  attached  to  the  new  flags  were  in 
lieu  of  the  silver  bands  to  be  awarded  later  by  the  War 
Department ;  these  ribbons  were  inscribed,  for  the  most 
part,  with  the  names  of  tlie  following  engagements : 


428  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Champagne-Marne  defensive  (15  July-18  July). 
Aisne-Marne  offensive  (23  July-31  July). 
Fismes  Sector  (7  August-17  August). 
Oise-Aisne  (18  August-8  September). 
Meuse-Argonne  (26  September-9  October). 
Thiaucourt  Sector  (l6  October-11  November). 

It  is  the  belief  of  officers  of  the  112th  Infantry  that 
it  was  entitled  to  the  inscription  of  "  Chateau- Thierry 
(4  Jiily-15  July) "  on  its  colors,  and  the  matter  was  later 
referred  to  General  Pershing  in  a  special  letter.  It  will 
be  recalled  that  heavy  casualties  were  sustained  in  action 
during  the  fighting  about  Hill  204  and  along  the  south 
bank  of  the  Marne.  One  other  regiment,  operating  in 
the  same  sector,  was  awarded  the  Chateau-Thierry  rib- 
bon, and  for  that  reason  it  is  believed  to  have  been  an 
oversight  on  the  part  of  division  officers  that  the  same 
honor  was  not  accorded  the  112th,  deserving  as  it  was  of 
the  same  battle  credit. 

Relative  to  the  battle  of  Chateau- Thierry,  it  may  be 
stated  that  the  7th  Machine  Gun  Battalion  of  the  3d 
Division  was  the  only  American  organization  that  ever 
fought  within  the  city  itself;  American  Marines  fought 
at  Belleau  Woods,  to  the  northwest. 

Marshal  Petain  says  of  the  battalion : 

The  7th  Machine  Gun  Battalion  barred  to  the  enemy  the 
passage  of  the  Marne.  In  the  course  of  violent  combat,  particularly 
on  May  31st  and  June  1st,  it  disputed  foot  by  foot  with  the  Germans 
the  northern  outskirts  of  Chateau-Thierry,  and  covered  itself  with 
incomparable  glory,  thanks  to  its  valor  and  to  its  skill,  costing  the 
enemy  sanguinary  losses. 


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PHILADELPHU'S  BROTHERLY  LOVE  429 

It  was  this  battalion  that  was  being  decorated  as  the 
112th  marched  into  the  Grande  Foret  on  the  afternoon  of 
that  memorable  4th  of  July,  1918. 

The  getaway  from  the  Le  Mans  area  came  on  April 
15th  and  16th.  First  trains,  carrying  the  Headquarters, 
Supply  and  Machine  Gun  Companies,  the  1st  and  2d 
Battalions,  and  the  Sanitary  Detachment,  left  the  Le 
Mans  embarkation  area  siding  in  a  downpour  of  rain. 
Men  stood  for  several  hours  in  one  shower  after  another, 
clothes  and  packs  soaked,  and  then  were  hustled  into  box 
cars,  52  men  to  an  American-built  car.  Conditions  were 
so  crowded  that  only  45  men  could  find  places  or  lie  or 
squat  on  the  floor  and  seven  men  in  each  car  had  to 
stand  for  the  whole  period  of  the  trip,  from  Le  Mans 
to  St.  Nazaire. 

But  there  was  some  satisfaction  that  every  time  the 
speeding  box  car  special  lopped  off  a  kilometer,  it  meant 
that  much  nearer  home  for  the  doughboys  on  board.  On 
the  16th  the  remainder  of  the  regiment  left  for  St.  Na- 
zaire,  traveling  over  the  same  route  to  the  seacoast. 

Detraining  at  3  in  the  morning,  the  soldiers  on  the 
first  train  marched  with  full  equipment  three  miles  up  the 
beach  highway  and  into  the  camp  area,  turning  into 
Camp  No.  2  for  a  rapid-fire  physical  examination.  Later 
in  the  day  these  same  units  were  transferred  to  what  is 
known  as  the  Isolation  Camp,  and  donned  blue  denim 
overalls,  to  protect  their  army-issued  O.  D.  uniform,  for 
the  remainder  of  their  stay. 


430  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

There  was  very  little  sleep  for  the  weary  those  last 
days  in  France;  just  as  at  Le  Mans,  there  was  something 
on  the  program  every  hour ;  final  check-overs  were  made 
on  the  sailing  lists,  and  hardly  before  the  man  in  the  ranks 
could  make  a  fair  survey  of  the  camp  and  learn  where  the 
welfare  buildings  were  located,  word  came  to  move — that 
welcome  word  for  which  men  had  been  waiting  ever  since 
the  armistice  was  signed. 

All  units  of  the  regiment,  excepting  the  1st  Battalion, 
were  assigned  to  the  Pocahontas, and  marched  from  camp 
early  on  the  morning  of  April  19th,  in  order  to  board  the 
vessel  at  9.30.  The  1st  Battalion  was  given  space  on  the 
Mercury,  which  was  scheduled  to  sail  before  sunrise  on 
Easter  Sunday,  April  20th.  The  Mercury  carried  Divi- 
sion Headquarters  and  General  Charles  Muir,  who  had 
returned  to  the  28th  Division  the  day  following  the  flag 
and  D.  S.  C.  ceremony  at  Le  Mans.  He  had  come  from 
the  Army  of  Occupation  in  order  to  return  with  the  divi- 
sion he  had  piloted  overseas  and  into  action,  from  the 
Mame  to  the  Vesle  and  into  the  Argonne. 

So  while  the  departure  from  France  came  with  a  rush, 
it  came  quietly  and  without  any  great  show.  As  the 
Pocahontas  slipped  out  of  St.  N'azaire  shortly  after  5.30 
on  the  evening  of  the  19th,  there  was  an  enthusiastic 
cheer  from  the  men  who  packed  the  decks  and  lined 
the  rail  to  those  other  Americans  and  French  civilians 
along  the  shore;  but  that  was  the  only  exuberance  of 
the  occasion. 

The  movement  from  Le  ^lans  to  a  place  on  board 


PHILADELPHIA'S  BROTHERLY  LOVE  431 

ship  in  St.  Nazaire  harbor  had  been  almost  too  rapid  for 
the  men  in  the  ranks  to  comprehend ;  while  the  average 
doughboy  knew  he  was  starting  for  home  at  last,  his  feel- 
ings were  so  mixed  that  they  can't  be  described.  He 
donned  his  blue  denim  overalls  again,  made  himself  easy 
on  the  deck  or  hung  over  the  rail  and  dreamily  looked  out 
to  sea ;  watched  the  ship  drop  its  pilot  and  then  late  in  the 
evening  drop  anchor  outside  the  harbor. 

Easter  Sunday,  dawning  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
days  at  sea,  found  the  men  in  good  spirits.  Though  con- 
ditions were  crowded  aboard  sliip,  "  everything  went " 
and  was  generously  overlooked  in  the  "  hurry  up — get  us 
home  "  program.  Blue  denims  and  hobnails  were  the 
Easter  fashion  decree  for  doughboys;  Sam  Browne  belts 
and  shiny  shoes,  with  dress  O.  D.  uniforms  were  pre- 
scribed for  officers ;  and  a  few  days  later,  in  accordance 
with  standing  G.  H.  Q.  orders,  the  Sam  Browne  belt, 
hero  of  days  in  France,  disappeared  for  all  time  into 
officers'  locker  trunks,  not  even  to  be  dragged  forth  upon 
reacliing  the  old  U.  S.  A. 

There  were  boat  drills  the  first  few  days  at  sea;  but 
outside  of  these,  plenty  of  "  bunk  fatigue,"  and  one  bar- 
rage after  another,  put  over  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  K.  of  C. 
and  the  Red  Cross,  there  was  nothing  to  report.  The 
eleven-day  trip  overseas  had  only  one  disagreeable  day, 
and  on  that  particular  occasion,  with  the  ship  pitching, 
but  not  rolling,  many  a  youngster  lost  his  appetite — 
n 'everything. 

But  the  weather  man  couldn't  have  behaved  better, 


43^2  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

and  the  ocean  never  seemed  so  calm  as  on  the  last  days 
at  sea.  On  the  morning  of  April  29th  a  wireless  message 
received  aboard  ship  announced  that  the  vessel  would 
dock  on  the  morrow  at  Philadelphia  instead  of  at  New 
York;  announcement  that  the  regiment  would  be  held 
for  a  division  parade,  however,  did  not  find  any  growing 
enthusiasm.  For  doughboys  who  had  tramped  all  over 
France  wanted  to  get  home  without  any  more  hikes  if  it 
were  at  all  possible.  A  lighthouse  near  Cape  May  was 
sighted  and  a  great  cheer  went  up  from  every  youngster 
aboard  ship  as  the  vessel  dropped  anchor  off  the  Ameri- 
can coast  that  night. 

In  the  ward  room,  where  the  officers  were  having  an 
entertainment,  Colonel  Rickards  rose  to  his  feet  and  ex- 
claimed, with  a  smile  overspreading  his  face,  **That  shout 
means  that  we  have  sighted  a  lighthouse  and  are  nearing 
God's  green  country  at  last." 

That  day  the  regiment's  Commander  had  received  a 
letter  from  Captain  John  Downes,  in  command  of  the 
Pocahontas,  which  indicated  that  the  splendid  conduct  of 
the  1 1 2th  boys  aboard  ship  had  not  been  overlooked.  The 
note  read: 

I  take  great  pleasure  in  informing  you  that  it  is  the  unanimous 
opinion  of  myself  and  officers  of  this  vessel  that  the  troops  on  board 
and  under  your  command  are  the  best  organization  which  we  have 
had  the  pleasure  of  bringing  back  from  France  since  the  signing  of 
the  Armistice. 

Their  behavior  has  been  without  a  flaw,  their  spirit  has  been  of 
the  highest  and  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  troop  holds,  washrooms. 


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PHILADELPHIA'S  BROTHERLY  LOVE  433 

lavatories  and  decks  has  been  such  as  to  bring  notliing  but  "  excel- 
lent "  reports  from  those  of  the  ship's  officers  having  these  localities 
under  their  immediate  charge. 

I  congratulate  you.  Sir,  in  having  such  a  splendid  body  of 
officers  and  men  to  command. 

So  it  seemed,  that  wherever  the  112th  went,  the  sol- 
diers, splendidly  disciplined  and  not  forgetting  that  they 
were  gentlemen,  made  an  enviable  impression  that  re- 
flected credit  upon  the  organization. 

The  morning  of  the  30th  of  April  found  both  the 
Pocahontas  and  the  Mercury  moving  up  Delaware  Bay 
and  into  the  river,  and  as  the  expanse  of  water  narrowed, 
permitting  a  closer  view  of  Delaware  and  New  Jersey 
shores,  doughboys  crowded  the  rails  and  reveled  in 
American  scenes  again.  Factories,  railroad  trains,  homes, 
farms  and  all  life  seemed  to  possess  a  new  appeal  now. 

From  the  moment  that  the  Pocahontas  passed  Wil- 
mington at  noon  until  it  crossed  the  imaginary  dividing 
line  between  Delaware  and  Pennsylvania,  there  was  a 
howling,  whistling,  cheering  demonstration  from  the 
shore  and  from  ail  craft  on  the  big  broad  stream.  A  small 
fishing  boat,  anchored  near  the  Pennsylvania  line,  was 
the  first  to  give  the  greeting. 

Then,  at  2.20,  with  the  Pocahontas  passing  Chester, 
and  the  Mercury  following  a  mile  behind,  the  whistles  of 
the  city's  factories  let  loose.  Submarine  Chaser  71  came 
alongside  and  cut  tlie  water  like  a  knife,  tooting  and  add- 
ing to  the  welcoming  din  at  the  same  time.  Enthusiasm 
seemed  to  know  no  bounds;  the  112th  was  having  the 

28 


434  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

honor  of  being  the  first  Pennsylvania  troops  to  land  at 
Philadelphia,  the  111th  having  debarked  at  Hoboken  a 
day  or  two  before. 

Then  more  submarine  chasers  came  into  view,  and 
swung  into  line.  At  Marcus  Hook  the  Samuel  Penny- 
packer,  with  a  battery  of  press  photographers,  swung  out 
into  midstream  and  came  up  along  the  port  side  of  the 
transport.  Needless  to  add,  the  photographers  were  on 
the  job  from  the  moment  they  got  within  firing  distance, 
and  the  doughboys  who  thronged  all  upper  parts  and 
decks  of  the  ship  like  so  many  flies  looked  on  at  first  al- 
most in  silence;  then  when  the  press  men  "  let  fire"  the 
men  retaliated  with  a  barrage  of  cheers.  Then  the  whole 
stage  was  set  for  the  welcome. 

Passing  the  Texas  Oil  Company's  big  plant  at  12.50 
with  a  naval  seaplane  doing  the  light  fantastic  in  midair 
and  jumping  all  over  the  ether  above  the  Pocahontas, 
there  was  another  long  lusty  whistling  welcome.  Hun- 
dreds lined  the  shore  and  school  childi-en  could  be  seen 
running  here,  there  and  everywhere.  But  it  remained 
for  the  trim-looking  Samuel  H.  Ashbridge,  with  its 
"  folks  from  home  "  aboard,  to  prove  the  opening  wedge 
into  the  doughboys'  hearts.  That  was  at  1.10.  Up  to 
that  time  the  man  in  the  ranks  hadn't  seen  any  use  of 
cheering  to  a  pronounced  extent ;  he  was  too  glad  to  be  in 
home  waters  to  give  vent  to  his  feehngs. 

Now  and  then  a  tell-tale  lump  bobbed  up  in  the 
throat,  convincing  evidence  of  his  joy  over  being  back  in 
the  green  country  over  here. 


PHILADELPHIA'S  BROTHERLY  LOVE  435 

It  wasn't  long  until  relatives  from  central,  southern 
and  southeastern  Pennsylvania,  on  board  the  Ashhridge, 
had  obtained  a  broadside  view  of  the  boys  aboard  the 
transport,  but  it  was  a  more  difficult  proposition  for  them 
to  pick  out  the  friends  they  had  on  board — or  more  par- 
ticularly their  own  boys.  For  the  average  man  in  khaki 
it  was  a  far  easier  task  to  pick  out  his  loved  ones  aboard 
the  Ashhridge,  if  indeed  they  were  on  the  ship. 

The  story  of  how  the  Ashhridge  with  its  band  and 
cheering  relatives  accompanied  the  Pocahontas  all  the 
way  up-stream,  past  Hog  Island  shipyards  and  the 
League  Island  navy^  yard,  and  stood  by  while  the  leading 
transport  was  pushed  into  place  at  Pier  71  has  already 
been  told  by  metropolitan  reporters  many  days  ago. 
But  the  story  of  how  the  doughboy  from  France  felt  as 
he  looked  on  such  enthusiasm  and  at  times  did  not  know 
whether  to  cheer  because  he  felt  so  happy  over  getting 
into  a  real  American  port  amid  real  American  people 
once  again — well,  it's  hard  to  explain,  that's  all. 

More  than  one  youngster  thought  of  the  buddies  who 
weren't  coming  back;  thought  of  the  fellows  on  silent 
guard  in  the  Vesle  River  region  and  in  the  Argonne. 
There  were  those  who  felt  the  plans  for  a  parade  would 
postpone  their  departure  for  home  for  two  or  three  weeks 
at  least ;  there  were  some  who  looked  on  the  tens  of  thou- 
sands along  shore  and  recognized  no  particular  friend, 
yet  knowing  at  one  and  the  same  time  that  each  clieering 
mother  or  father  or  somebody's  sister  was  his  friend  at 
that  moment. 


436  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

The  Pocahontas  docked  at  3  o'clock  at  the  Snyder 
Avenue  pier  and  the  first  men  ashore  were  casual  officers, 
followed  by  a  detachment  of  109th  Machine  Gun  Bat- 
talion men.  The  first  112th  representatives  ashore  were 
a  half  dozen  officers,  followed  by  Company  F.  Movies 
recorded  the  docking  and  other  incidents  of  the  moment. 
Then  came  the  heavy  food  barrage  that  put  the  men  in 
fine  fettle. 

The  Red  Cross  gave  each  man  a  piece  of  home-made 
cake  and  a  big  brick  of  ice  cream;  the  Salvation  Army 
distributed  free  message  blanks  in  order  that  the  wires 
that  night  might  send  the  word  home:  "  I'm  back  in  the 
old  U.  S.  A."  Before  it  really  seemed  that  two  or  three 
hours  had  slipped  by,  packs  were  unslung  in  real  Ameri- 
can day  coaches  and  the  second  stage  of  the  eventful  jour- 
ney "  at  home  "  was  begun — with  the  K.  of  C,  Jewish 
Welfare  Society  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  seemingly  com- 
peting with  one  another  to  put  over  chocolate  and  cig- 
arette barrages  aboard  the  troop  train,  bound  for 
Camp  Dix. 

A  year  to  the  day  since  the  departure  from  Hancock 
for  Upton,  via  North  Philadelphia,  the  112th  boys  went 
over  the  same  route.  Hundreds  of  women  and  children, 
young  men  and  old,  cheered  and  waved  flags;  and  the 
welcome  outdid  in  a  hundred  ways  those  cheers  that  sped 
the  boys  to  France.  West  Philadelphia,  North  Phila- 
delphia and  even  New  Jersey  towns  kept  up  the  cele- 
bration of  welcome  as  long  as  there  was  daylight.  Trains 
sped  by  at  short  intervals. 


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PHILADELPHIA'S  BROTHERLY  L0\^  48T 

At  8.30  o'clock  Dix  was  reached  and  at  9.15  many  of 
the  112th  doughboys  were  in  barracks,  arranging  straw 
ticks  on  iron  cots,  and  facing  as  good  a  night's  sleep  as 
any  Brigadier-General  ever  had  in  France.  The  dough- 
boys' cheers,  late  in  getting  under  way  during  the  day, 
were  late  in  subsiding;  and  May  1st  arrived  before  some 
of  the  lustier  ones  had  "  sounded  off  "  and  wrapped  up  in 
the  blankets,  to  crawl  out  at  7  the  next  morning  and  face 
the  best  breakfast  in  days. 

"  Some  welcome — some  camp ;  but  we  want  to  go 
home  toot  sweet," — that,  and  a  little  bit  more,  de- 
scribed the  feelings  of  the  average  youngster  as  he 
thought  over  the  events  of  that  great  day.  "It  seems 
worth  while  to  have  gone  to  France  to  receive  such  a  re- 
ception as  we  got,"  added  another,  and  still  more  ex- 
claimed, "  Oh,  boyl"  then  tumbled  off  and  went  to  sleep. 

Colonel  Rickards,  sensing  at  once  that  the  boys  did 
not  want  to  remain  in  camp  until  May  15th  for  the  pur- 
pose of  a  parade  in  Philadelphia,  so  told  General  Muir  on 
the  afternoon  of  May  1st.  That  settled  it.  An  agree- 
ment was  reached  that  the  111th  should  be  sent  from 
Camp  Dix  to  Camp  Sherman  for  muster-out,  parading 
in  Pittsburgh  en  route;  and  that  the  112th,  because  only 
45  per  cent,  of  its  strength  came  from  Pennsylvania,  and 
this,  mostly  in  the  central  and  northwestern  part  of  the 
state,  should  be  mustered  out  at  Camp  Dix  without  fur- 
ther delay.  That  news  spread  in  a  few  minutes,  and  the 
112th  youngsters  were  overjoyed. 

The  following  day  the  last  great  review  of  the  112th 


438  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

Infantry  took  place  on  the  spacious  drill  grounds,  and 
hundreds  of  visitors  looked  on.  Sunday,  May  4th,  saw 
the  final  delousing  process  put  in  force,  and  by  nightfall 
the  first  units  had  ceased  to  be  members  of  the  112th  In- 
fantry and  were  attached  to  a  camp  casualty  organiza- 
tion in  the  area  near  the  Dix  Theatre.  Hour  after  hour 
during  the  two  days  following  men  went  through  the 
mill — at  the  delousing  plant  and  at  the  discharge  bureau; 
and  on  the  afternoon  of  May  6th,  with  that  honored 
paper  tucked  away  in  their  pocket  and  tickets  purchased 
for  home,  the  first  doughboys  of  the  old  112th  Infantry, 
now  civilians  despite  their  uniform,  were  hurrying  to 
Philadelphia  aboard  trains  or  automobiles,  on  the  first 
lap  of  the  trip  home.  They  were  as  proud  of  their  red 
discharge  chevron  as  they  were  of  their  two  gold  ser- 
vice stripes. 

Men  of  the  old  16th,  because  of  location,  were  the 
first  of  the  112th  to  be  discharged;  following  them  came 
the  8th,  and  then  those  who  came  from  other  states  were 
sent  in  turn  to  the  demobilization  camp  nearest  their 
home  for  final  discharge. 

Back  to  their  home  town  these  fighters  from  up  the 
line  hurried,  as  fast  as  trains  could  take  them,  there  to 
receive  the  warm  greeting  that  a  loving  homefolk  had 
arranged  in  their  honor.  As  trains  sped  through  Penn- 
sylvania cities,  men  and  women  cheered  and  the  dough- 
boys waved  their  hands  in  response,  or  merely  smiled. 

So  the  Great  Adventure  came  to  an  end. 

Here,  amid  the  sunshine  of  a  land  they  had  grown 


o 

o, 

o" 

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/t- 


I 


^': 


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.     ?• 


PHILADELPHIA'S  BROTHERLY  LOVE  439 

to  love  the  more  during  that  year  in  France ;  here,  with 
those  who  could  speak  their  own  language  and  appreciate 
their  desires ;  in  a  land  where  the  squalor  and  the  pitif  ul- 
ness  of  the  battle-field  might  be  forgotten — these  young- 
sters of  the  other  days  were  supremely  happy. 

The  greatest  story  of  all,  that  feeling  of  relief  and 
satisfaction  to  be  home  again,  though  it  may  not  be  part 
of  the  Great  Adventure  and  many  have  overlooked  it 
in  recalling  those  trying  times  of  up  the  line,  is  by  far  the 
happiest  climax  in  a  doughboy's  existence. 

"  Are  you  glad  to  get  home?  And  how  did  you  like 
France? " 

These  were  the  queries  the  youngsters  had  to  con- 
front.   But  the  doughboy  just  smiled,  and  said: 

"  It  seems  mighty  good  to  be  here." 

And  "  here  "  he  will  stay  until  the  battle  call  comes 
again,  until  the  rallying  cry  of  the  old  112th  resounds, 
and  somebody  cries  out,  in  doughboy  fashion : 

"Let's  go!" 


PART  IV. 

ADDITIONAL  CITATIONS 

COMMENDATIONS  FOR  STOPPING  GERMANS   AT  THE 
MARNE  AND  IN  DEFEATING  THEM  IN  THE  ARGONNE 


VI  Army,  P.C,  the  26  July,  1918. 

Hq.,  3rd  Bureau. 
No.  2,283/3 

Note 

The  President  of  the  Republic  during  a  visit  that 
he  had  made  to  the  VI  Army  has  expressed  his  satis- 
faction on  the  results  obtained  as  well  as  for  the  qualities 
of  bravery  and  endurance  that  have  been  shown  by  all 
the  units  of  the  Army. 

The  General  coinmanding  the  VI  Army  is  pleased 
to  transmit  to  the  troops  of  his  army  the  felicitations  of 
the  President  of  the  Republic. 

(Signed) :  General  Degoutte. 

VI  Army,  P.C,  the  26  July,  1918. 

Hq.,  3rd  Bureau. 
No.  2,28V3 

Note 

The  General  commanding  the  VI  Army  desires  to 
bring  to  the  attention  of  the  troops  of  the  Army  the  fol- 
lowing resolution  passed  by  the  Mayors  of  the  arrondisse- 
ment  of  JNIeaux  at  a  meeting  held  20th  of  July,  1918: 

The  Mayors  of  the  arrondissement  of  Meaux  at  a 
meeting  on  July  20,  1018,  are  pleased  to  welcome  the 
great  victory  of  the  VI  Army  that  has  saved  their  com- 
munes from  the  invasion  that  was  menacing  them  at  the 
time  of  the  battle  of  the  Marne. 

443 


444  WITH  THE  IHTH  IN  FRANCE 

They  desire  to  convey  to  the  valiant  troops  of  the  VI 
Army  a  sincere  expression  of  their  gratitude  and  their 
admiration. 

Le  President  du  Congress  des  Maires 

(Signed) :  G.  Hugel, 
Maire  de  Meaux,  Depute  de  Seine-&-Marne. 

The  General  Commanding  the  VI  Army  is  pleased  to 
transmit  these  felicitations  to  the  troops  of  his  army. 

(Signed) :  General  Degoutte. 

VI  Army  Q.  G.,  23d  July,  1918. 

38th  Army  Corps. 
No.  7628/P 

General  Order  No.  348 

General  Degoutte,  commanding  the  VI  Army,  asks 
the  General  commanding  the  38th  Army  Corps  to  con- 
gratulate, on  his  behalf,  the  Franco- American  troops  of 
the  38th  Army  Corps,  on  the  result  of  the  recent  days  of 
fighting. 

The  General  commanding  the  VI  Army  at  the  same 
time  conveys  the  great  satisfaction  of  General  Petain, 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Armies  of  the  North  and 
North-East,  of  General  Foch,  Commander-in-Chief  of 
the  Allied  Armies,  and  of  Mr.  Clemenceau,  President  of 
the  Council,  Minister  of  War. 

De  Mondesir, 

General  Commanding  38th  Army  Corps. 


ADDITIONAL  CITATIONS  445 

X  Arme  Au  Q.  G.  a.,  30  July,  1918. 

Etat-^Iajor 
3rd  Bureau 

No.  862/S  Ordre  General 

No.  318 
Officers,  Non-commissioned  Officers  and  Soldiers  of 

the  28th  Division 

Shoulder  to  shoulder  with  your  French  comrades  you 
were  thrown  into  the  counter-offensive  battle  which  com- 
menced on  the  18th  of  July. 

You  rushed  into  the  fight  as  though  to  a  fete. 

Your  magnificent  courage  completely  routed  a  sur- 
prised enemy  and  your  indomitable  tenacity  checked  the 
counter-attacks  of  his  fresh  divisions. 

You  have  shown  yourselves  worthy  sons  of  your 
Great  Country  and  you  were  admired  by  your  brothers 
in  arms. 

91  guns,  7,200  prisoners,  immense  booty,  10  kilome- 
ters of  country  reconquered;  this  is  your  portion  of  the 
spoil  of  this  victory. 

Furthermore,  you  have  really  felt  your  superiority 
over  the  barbarous  enemy  of  the  whole  human  race, 
against  whom  the  children  of  Liberty  are  striving. 

To  attack  him  is  to  vanquish  him. 

American  Comrades!  I  am  grateful  to  you  for  the 
blood  so  generously  spilled  on  the  soil  of  my  Country. 

I  am  proud  to  have  commanded  you  during  such  days 
and  to  have  fought  with  you  for  the  deliverance  of  the 
world.  (Signed)  :  Mangin. 


446  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

VI  Army  (French)  P.  C.  9th  August,  1918. 

General  Order 

Before  the  great  offensive  of  the  18th  July,  the 
American  troops  which  were  brigaded  with  the  French 
VI  Army  distinguished  themselves  by  taking  from  the 
enemy  the  Bois  de  la  Brigade  de  Marine  (Belleau 
Woods)  and  the  town  of  Vaux,  and  stopping  his  offen- 
sive on  the  Marne  and  at  Fossoy. 

Afterwards  they  took  a  most  glorious  part  in  the  sec- 
ond battle  of  the  Marne,  rivalling  the  French  troops  in 
attacking  spirit  and  valor. 

They  have  durmg  twenty  days  of  continuous  fighting 
liberated  numerous  French  villages,  have  made  an  ad- 
vance of  forty  (40)  kilometers  over  difficult  terrain,  and 
have  succeeded  in  crossing  the  Vesle  River. 

Their  valorous  deeds  are  marked  by  names  which  will 
in  the  future  glorify  the  mihtary  history  of  the  United 
States  of  America: 

ToRCY,  Belleau,  Plateau  D'Etrepilly,  Epieds, 
Le  Charmel,  L'Ourcq,  Seringes-et-Nesles, 

Sergy,  La  Vesle  et  Fismes. 
The  young  divisions  which  entered  the  battle  for  the 
first  time  showed  their  possession  of  a  dignity  in  keeping 
with  the  war  traditions  of  the  Regular  Army.  They  have 
the  same  ardent  will  to  defeat  the  Boche  and  the  same 
discipline  which  guarantees  that  an  order  given  by  the 
Chief  will  always  be  executed  whatever  difficulties  be  en- 
countered and  whatever  sacrifices  have  to  be  made. 


ADDITIONAL  CITATIONS  447 

The  splendid  results  have  been  obtained  by  the  energy 
and  ability  of  the  Chiefs  and  by  the  bravery  of  the 
soldiers. 

I  am  proud  to  have  had  the  command  of  such  troops. 
The  General  Commanding  the  VI  Army 

Degoutte. 

VI  Army  Headquarters,  Aug.  — ,  1918. 

38th  Army  Coi*ps  (French) 

Ordre 

The  time  having  now  come  for  him  to  hand  over  the 
command  of  the  zone  of  battle  to  General  Bullard^ 
commanding  the  3rd  Corps,  A.  E.  F.,  General  de  Mon- 
desir^  commanding  the  38th  French  Corps,  addresses  all 
his  thanks  to  the  splendid  troops  of  the  28th  and  32nd 
American  Divisions,  who  have  proved  dmung  the  pursuit, 
wliich  is  still  being  continued,  not  only  their  courage,  but 
also  their  staying  qualities. 

The  casualties,  the  toils  and  the  hardships,  due  to  the 
difficulty  of  bringing  up  rations  during  the  marching  and 
fighting  of  this  period,  were  unable  to  break  their  high 
morale,  their  go  and  their  warlike  spirit. 

General  de  Mondesir  is  proud  to  have  had  the  op- 
portunity to  command  them.  He  hopes  that  the  day  will 
come  when  he  will  have  them  next  to  him  as  comrades  in 

our  conmion  fight. 

(Signed)  :  L.  de  Mondesir, 

General. 
Commanding  38th  Army  Corps. 


448  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

G.  H.  Q. 

American  Expeditionary  Forces 
General  Orders)  France,  Aug.  28, 1918. 

No.  143        ) 

It  fills  me  with  pride  to  record  in  General  Orders  a 
tribute  to  the  service  and  achievements  of  the  First  and 
Third  Corps,  comprising  the  1st,  2nd,  3rd,  4th,  26th, 
28th,  32nd  and  42nd  Divisions  of  the  American  Expedi- 
tionary Forces. 

You  came  to  the  battle-field  at  the  crucial  hour  of  the 
Allied  cause.  For  almost  fom-  years  the  most  formidable 
army  the  world  has  as  yet  seen  had  pressed  its  invasion 
of  France,  and  stood  threatening  its  capital.  At  no  time 
had  that  army  been  more  powerful  or  menacing  than 
when,  on  July  15th,  it  struck  again  to  destroy  in  one 
great  battle  the  brave  men  opposed  to  it  and  to  enforce 
its  brutal  will  upon  the  world  and  civilization. 

Three  days  later,  in  conjunction  with  our  Allies,  you 
counter-attacked.  The  Allied  Armies  gained  a  brilliant 
victory  that  marks  the  turning  point  of  the  war.  You 
did  more  than  give  our  brave  Allies  the  support  to  which 
as  a  nation  our  faith  was  pledged.  You  proved  that  our 
altruism,  our  pacific  spirit,  our  sense  of  justice  have  not 
blunted  our  virility  or  our  courage.  You  have  shown  that 
American  initiative  and  energy  are  as  fit  for  the  test  of 
war  as  for  the  pm-suits  of  peace.  You  have  justly  won 
the  unstinted  praise  of  our  Allies  and  the  eternal  grati- 
tude of  om*  countrymen. 


ADDITIONAL  CITATIONS  449 

We  have  paid  for  our  success  in  the  Hves  of  many  of 
our  brave  comrades.  We  shall  cherish  their  memory 
always,  and  claim  for  our  history  and  literature  their 
bravery,  achievement  and  sacrifice. 

This  order  will  be  read  to  all  organizations  at  the 
first  assembly  formation  after  its  receipt. 

John  J.  Pershing, 
General,  Commander-in-Chief. 

Headquarters  28th  Division 
American  Expeditionary  Forces 

General  Orders)  August  30th,  1918. 

No.  13  ) 

The  Division  Commander  is  authorized  to  inform  all, 
from  the  lowest  to  the  highest,  that  their  efforts  are 
known  and  appreciated.  A  new  division,  by  force  of  cir- 
cumstances, took  its  place  in  the  front  line  in  one  of  the 
greatest  battles  of  the  greatest  war  of  history.  The  divi- 
sion has  acquitted  itself  in  a  creditable  manner.  It  has 
stormed  and  taken  a  point  that  was  regarded  proof 
against  assault.  It  has  taken  numerous  prisoners  from 
a  vaunted  Guards  Division  of  the  enemy.  It  has  in- 
flicted on  the  enemy  far  more  loss  than  it  has  suffered 
from  him.  In  a  single  gas  application  it  inflicted  more 
damage  than  the  enemy  inflicted  on  it  by  gas  since  its 
entry  into  the  battle. 

It  is  desired  these  facts  be  brought  to  the  attention  of 

20 


450  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

all,  in  order  that  the  tendency  of  new  troops  to  allow 
their  minds  to  dwell  on  their  own  losses  to  the  exclusion 
of  what  they  have  done  to  the  enemy  may  be  reduced  to 
the  minimum. 

Let  aU  be  of  good  heart !  We  have  inflicted  more  loss 
than  we  have  suffered;  we  are  better  men  individually 
than  our  enemies.  A  little  more  grit,  a  little  more  effort, 
a  little  more  determination  to  keep  our  enemies  down 
and  the  division  will  have  the  right  to  look  upon  itself  as 
an  organization  of  veterans. 

(Signed) :  Charles  H.  Muir, 

Major-General. 

Advanced  Headquarters 
First  Army  Corps 

October  8, 1918. 

From:  Commanding  General,  1st  Army  Corps,  U.  S. 
To:  Commanding  General,  28th  Division. 
Subject:  Commendation. 

I  desire  to  express  to  the  28th  Division  and  its  com- 
mander my  appreciation  of  the  splendid  work  done  by  the 
division  on  October  7,  1918. 

The  capture  of  Hill  244  and  the  combined  advance 
of  the  right  and  left  brigades  bringing  about  the  fall  of 
the  very  strong  positions  of  the  enemy  on  the  Chene 
Tondu  and  the  Taille  I'Abbe  demonstrate  excellent 
leadership  and  first-class  fighting  ability. 


ADDITIONAL  CITATIONS  451 

The  advance  in  exploitation  in  front  of  your  right 
brigade  resulting  from  the  foregoing  actions  was  a  very 
bold  procedure  which  will  undoubtedly  lead  to  even 
greater  results.  ( Signed )  :  H.  Liggett, 

Major- General,  U.  S.  A. 

Headquarters  28th  Division 
American  Expeditionary  Forces 

General  Orders)  France,  October  21,  1918. 

No.  19  ) 

1.  The  Division  Commander  desires  to  express  the 
appreciation  to  all  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  28th  Divi- 
sion and  of  attached  units,  who,  at  all  times  during  the 
advance  in  the  Valley  of  the  Aire  and  in  the  Argonne 
Forest,  in  spite  of  many  hardships  and  constant  per- 
sonal danger,  gave  their  best  efforts  to  further  the  suc- 
cess of  the  division. 

2.  As  a  result  of  this  operation,  which  extended  from 
5.30  on  the  morning  of  September  26th  until  the  night  of 
8/9  October,  ^vith  almost  continuous  fighting,  the 
enemy's  line  was  forced  back  more  than  ten  kilometers. 
In  spite  of  most  stubborn  and  at  times  desperate  resis- 
tance the  enemy  was  driven  out  of  Grand  Boureuilles; 
Petii-e  Boureuilles,  Varennes,  Montblainville, 
Apremont.Pleinchamp  Farm, La  Forge  and  Chatel 
Chehery,  and  the  strongholds  on  Hills  223,  244  and 
La  Chene  Tondu  were  captured  in  the  face  of  strong 
machine  gun  and  artillery  fire. 


452  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

3.  As  a  "  new  "  division  on  the  Vesle  the  28th  was 
cited  in  Orders  from  General  Headquarters  for  its  ex- 
cellent service,  and  the  splendid  work  just  completed 
assures  it  a  place  in  the  very  front  ranks  of  the  fighting 
"  Red  "  Divisions.  With  such  a  position  to  maintain  it 
is  expected  that  every  man  will  devote  his  best  efforts  to 
the  work  at  hand — to  hasten  that  final  victory  which  is 
now  so  near. 

By  command  of  Major- General  Muir: 

W.  C.  Sweeney, 

Chief  of  Staff. 
Official : 

RicHAKD  W.  Watson, 

Ma  j  or- Ad  j  utant. 

G.  H.  Q. 

American  Expeditionary  Forces 

General  Orders)  France,  Dec.  19,  1918. 

No.  232         ) 

It  is  with  a  sense  of  gratitude  for  its  splendid  accom- 
plishment, which  will  live  through  all  history,  that  I 
record  in  General  Orders  a  tribute  to  the  victory  of  the 
First  Ai-my  in  the  Meuse-Argonne  battle. 

Tested  and  strengthened  by  the  reduction  of  the  St. 
]\Iihiel  salient,  for  more  than  six  weeks  you  battered 
against  the  pivot  of  the  enemy  line  on  the  western  front. 
It  was  a  position  of  imposing  natural  strength,  stretching 
on  both  sides  of  the  Meuse  River  from  the  bitterly  con- 
tested hills  of  Verdun  to  the  almost  impenetrable  forest 


ADDITIONAL  CITATIONS  453 

of  the  Argonne;  a  position,  moreover,  fortified  by  four 
years  of  labor  designed  to  render  it  impregnable ;  a  posi- 
tion held  with  the  fullest  resources  of  the  enemy.  That 
position  you  broke  utterly,  and  thereby  hastened  the  col- 
lapse of  the  enemy's  military  power. 

Soldiers  of  all  the  divisions  engaged  under  the  First, 
Third  and  Fifth  Corps— the  1st,  2nd,  3rd,  4th,  5th,  7th, 
26th,  28th,  29th,  32nd,  33rd,  35th,  37th,  42nd,  77th,  78th, 
79th,  80th,  82nd,  89th,  90th  and  91st— you  will  be  long 
remembered  for  the  stubborn  persistence  of  your  prog- 
ress, your  storming  of  obstinately  defended  machine  gmi 
nests,  your  penetration,  yard  by  yard,  of  woods  and 
ravines,  vour  heroic  resistance  in  the  face  of  counter- 
attacks  supported  by  powerful  artillery  fire.  For  more 
than  a  month,  from  the  initial  attack  of  September  26th, 
you  fought  j^our  way  slowly  through  the  Argonne, 
through  the  woods  and  over  hills  west  of  the  Meuse ;  you 
slowly  enlarged  your  hold  on  the  Cotes  de  Meuse  to  the 
east;  and  then,  on  the  first  of  November,  your  attack 
forced  the  enemy  into  flight.  Pressing  his  retreat,  you 
cleared  the  entire  left  bank  of  the  ]Meuse  south  of  Sedan, 
and  then  stormed  the  heights  on  the  right  bank  and  drove 
him  into  the  plain  beyond. 

Your  achievement,  which  is  scarcely  to  be  equaled  in 
American  history,  must  remain  a  source  of  proud  satis- 
faction to  the  troops  who  participated  in  the  last  cam- 
paign of  the  war.  The  American  people  will  remember 
it  as  the  realization  of  the  hitherto  potential  strength  of 


454  WITH  THE  112TH  IN  FRANCE 

the  American  contribution  toward  the  cause  to  which 
they  had  sworn  allegiance.  There  can  be  no  greater  re- 
ward for  a  soldier  or  for  a  soldier's  memory. 

This  order  will  be  read  to  all  organizations  at  the  first 
assembly  formation  after  its  receipt. 

John  J.  Pershing, 
General,  Commander-in-Chief, 
American  Expeditionary  Forces. 
Official : 

Robert  C.  Davis, 

Adjutant  General. 

G.  H.  Q. 

American  Expeditionary  Forces 

General  Orders)  France,  November  13, 1918. 

No.  204         ) 

The  following  communications  from  the  Comman- 
der-in-Chief of  the  Allied  Armies  is  published  to  the 
command : 

Grand  General  Headquarters  of  the  Armies 

November  12,  1918. 
Officers,  Non-Commissioned  Officers,  Soldiers 
OF  the  Allied  Armies  : 

After  having  stopped  the  advance  of  the  enemy,  you 
have,  for  months,  with  confidence  and  unrelenting 
energy,  attacked  him  unceasingly. 


ADDITIONAL  CITATIONS  455 

You  have  won  the  greatest  battle  of  history  and  saved 
the  most  sacred  cause,  the  Freedom  of  the  World. 

Be  proud! 

You  have  decorated  your  standards  with  immortal 
glory. 

Posterity  will  forever  thank  you. 

Marshal  of  France, 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Allied  Armies. 

F.  FocH. 

By  Command  or  General  Pershing  : 

James  W.  McAndrew, 

Chief  of  Staff. 
Official : 

Robert  C.  Davis, 

Adjutant  General. 


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